1-234-589 - The Museum of East Asian Art/Heritage Images

Gilt bronze Lama, Tibet, 16th-17th century. A gilt bronze portrait figure of a monk, probably the Lama Buston Rinpoche. The figure is shown seated on a lotus throne with his hands held in the 'calling the earth to witness' gesture (bhumisparsa mudra). The identification of the lama as Buton Rinpoche (1290-1364) is tentative only. He was the abbot of Shalu monastery and was responsible for its restoration in 1333. He was also responsible for the revision of Tibetan religious literature.