Yong Zin Khon Shogpel, Seventh Abbot of Ngor Monastary

Yong Zin Khon Shogpel, Seventh Abbot of Ngor Monastary. Tibet. Distemper and gold on cloth, Image: 31 x 26 1/4 in. (78.7 x 66.7 cm) Mount: 49 1/2 x 28 in. (125.7 x 71.1 cm). This painting is one of two in the collection from a set depicting the abbots of Ngor monastery. Tibetan Buddhism assigns extraordinary prestige and reverence to abbots, who are believed to embody the teachings of their lineage and therefore seen to be living embodiments of enlightenment. Ngor monastery followed the teachings of the Sakya school and is associated with an important set of mandalas painted by a group of itinerant Nepalese artists shortly after it was founded in 1429. This tangka is painted in a style still predominantly influenced by Nepal but showing a new awareness of Chinese art in such details as the throne base and the naturalistic treatment of drapery. Lotuses supporting holy books flank the preaching hierarchy. The upper registers contain the Sakya order lineage, and the lower show a group of protective and auspicious deities.