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© Bruce M. White, 2004.
Abbot of Ngor Ewam Cchöden Monastery
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
ClassificationsAsian Art

Abbot of Ngor Ewam Cchöden Monastery

Place CreatedChina, Asia
CultureTibet
Dateearly 17th Century
MediumWatercolor on silk
Credit LineThe Ester R. Portnow Collection of Asian Art, a gift of the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation
Dimensions103 x 55 1/4 in. (261.6 x 140.3 cm)
Object number2000.005.005
Label TextAt the center of this uncommonly large scroll painting, an abbot of one of Tibet’s most important monasteries sits atop a golden lotus throne, whose backrest is crowned with auspicious sea creatures (makara) and anchored by ferocious beasts (kirtimukha) ready to devour obstacles. The abbot wears a scholar’s hat, its long brocade-lined tail folded up and across the top, identifying him as a monk of the Sakya school. He gazes serenely outward, his left hand in a meditation position, his right hand bestowing boons. Both hands contain wish-fulfilling jewels to convey the preciousness of the Buddha’s teachings.

Surrounding the abbot are Buddhas, protectors, and spiritual teachers. Some wear monastic robes and scholar’s hats with tails up or down. Others are bare-chested meditators. Some have the white shawls of lay practitioners. Shakyamuni Buddha is at top, just right of center. In the middle of the bottom row, the protector Mahakala tramples a corpse, symbolizing victory over negative mental states. Above him sits the long-life deity, Ushnisha-vijaya, her eight white arms equipped to rescue worshippers from untimely death or rebirth in the lower realms.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - February 18, 2012
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, August 28, 2021 - October 17, 2022
Published ReferencesMCCM Newsletter, September - November 2000.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 122.
Jörg Heimbel, "Portraits of the Great Abbots of Ngor: The Memorial or Death Anniversary Thangka (dus thang)," in Gateways to Tibetan Studies: A Collection of Essays in Honour of David P. Jackson on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday, ed. Volker Caumanns et al. (Hamburg: Universität Hamburg, 2021), 326, number 3.3.
ProvenanceFrom Ngor, Tibet. Purchased for MCCM by Robert Walzer [Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation], Georgetown, Connecticut, from Kapoor Galleries, New York, New York, September 1999.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Asian Art