This finely cast and incised gilt bronze figure accurately represents His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama. Seated on a thick square cushion adorned with intricate floral designs, the right hand raised in vitarka mudra and the left resting on his lap. The figure is dressed in heavy robes with foliate-patterned hems, pooling elegantly at the base. The gold-lacquered and painted face with a serene expression, almond-shaped eyes, bow-shaped smiling lips, and long mustache, flanked by ears with pendulous lobes.

Provenance: Lothar Heubel, Frankfurt, Germany, 1983. An old private collection in Bavaria, Germany, acquired from the above. A copy of a signed and stamped certificate of authenticity from Lothar Heubel, dated 6 July 1983, and confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot.
Condition: Good condition with wear and casting irregularities. Tiny nicks, few scratches, small pitting, flaking to the cold-painted face, and rubbing to the gilding.

Weight: 1,175.9 g (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 14.8 cm (excl. stand)

With an associated wood stand. (2)

Expert’s note: The figure is meticulously inlaid with two small copper-metal plaques of rectangular shape, one to the back and another to the base. These plaques have a ritual purpose and are frequently found in Buddhist sculpture.

This gilded sculpture has the Fifth Dalai Lama's likeness such as sensuous modeling of the face and figure; the distinctly recognizable oval-shaped face with wide eyes, the pointed moustache and receding hairline. Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso’s right hand is raised in vitarka mudra, and the left-hand rests in his lap–a visible prong protrudes from the left palm, which likely would have held an oblong religious manuscript, per tradition.

Known as the Great Fifth, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682) is one of the most important figures in Tibetan history. With the support of a Mongol army, Gyatso dispossessed his rivals and unified Tibet under his rule and the Gelug order. In addition to being a skilled tactician, the Fifth Dalai Lama was a charismatic diplomat who formed lucrative alliances with the Mongol Khans and the Qing Court. He was also an erudite scholar who studied under Gelug, Sakya, and Nyingma masters and established numerous institutions that promoted the arts and sciences. In 1645, Lobzang Gyatso began construction of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, on the site of the palace of Songsten Gampo (c. 569-649), the founder of the Tibetan Empire (618-842) and Tibet's first 'Dharma King'. During Lobsang Gyatso's lifetime, Lhasa became the holiest pilgrimage site in Central Asia. The sandalwood stupa erected at the Potala Palace to house the Fifth Dalai Lama's remains is considered one of Tibet's great wonders.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 24 September 2012, lot 53
Price: USD 12,500 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Tibeto-Chinese gilt-bronze figure of a Lama, 18^th-19^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and manner of casting with similar expression, base, and size (15.8 cm).