Another outstanding portrait sculpture in the collection represents the Sakya hierarch Drakpa Gyaltsen (1147-1216) (fig. 209). This substantial sculpture, beautifully cast and gilded, retains its base plate which secures consecration materials within. Portraits were sometimes commissioned upon the death of a Buddhist teacher, subsequently sent to centers he had frequented. Portraits were also made while the subject was alive, and at any time after his death. The consecrated image of a teacher was thought to contain the living presence of the master and served as a focus of meditation and prayer.
The Sakya is one of two non-celibate orders in Tibetan Buddhism and thus, the power of office can be passed through a teacher’s own sons. One of Drakpa Gyaltsen’s early teachers was his father Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092-1158). Like his father and his famous brother Sonam Tsemo (1142-1182), Drakpa Gyaltsen was never fully ordained.
He assumed leadership within the order and was revered for his Buddhist practice and his many socio-political contributions to the community while upholding his lay vows.
In this sculpture, Drakpa Gyaltsen sits in meditation, clasping the bell and thunderbolt scepter, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe with incised sleeve hems and wonderfully ornate collar. The back was fi nished to the same high standard as the front, with especially fi ne detail in the robe collar, bearing cloud designs and auspicious symbols (cat. no. 15.1).
The downward-cast eyes, still with traces of pigment, reveal a deeply inward gaze, befi tting a meditation master. The fi gure’s closely-shorn hair, narrow beard, and moustache are features that appear in many of his portraits, both sculpture and painting.
