A VERY RARE THANGKA OF THE FIFTH PANCHEN LAMA, LOBSANG YESHE (1663-1737), 18TH CENTURY

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A VERY RARE THANGKA OF THE FIFTH PANCHEN LAMA, LOBSANG YESHE (1663-1737), 18TH CENTURY Expert’s note: While the composition follows the well-known series of eighteenth-century woodblock prints produced at Narthang Monastery depicting the Panchen Lama lineage, subtle variations and individual artistic choices demonstrate that the present thangka was fully painted by hand. Compare a related painted woodblock print of the same subject, dated to the nineteenth century, in the Tibet House Museum, New Delhi, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 71932. Most notably, the dragon throne, drapery, and background landscape are rendered with considerably greater intricacy in the present work. More subtly, slight differences in the proportions and relative alignment of the surrounding figures reveal the intervention of a highly skilled painter rather than the mechanical reproduction of a printed model. The lavish use of gold further suggests that the thangka was executed as an important commission. Gold and distemper on cloth. The Panchen Lama wears a yellow pandita hat and is encircled by a green halo. Saffron and orange monastic robes fall in measured folds, enriched with floral and geometric motifs rendered in fine gold linework. His right hand is raised in vitarka mudra, while the left supports an alms bowl, all before an offering table with ritual vessels. The landscape bridges celestial and terrestrial realms. Set in green hills, a white monastic complex identifiable as Tashilhunpo Monastery rises behind the central figure, while faint rainbow arches above the tiered structure convey its auspicious setting. Billowing clouds drift across a deep indigo sky, framing circular halos enclosing Amitabha Buddha and lineage master Khenchen Dorje Dzinpa above. Vajrabhairava occupies the upper left within a blazing aureole of flames. From the heart of the Panchen Lama emanates a ribbon-like lasso linking to Manjushri below, who raises his sword and supports a lotus-borne scripture. The lower register is animated by Gelug protector deities: Shri Devi (Magzor Gyalmo) astride her mule; Dorje Setrab, red and armored, charging on horseback; and Chingkarwa, the white mounted warrior protector advancing through clouds. The inscription to the lower margin: Through the benevolence of the great vajradhara master, I received the empowerments and instructions of Vajrabhairava (rdo rje ’jigs byed). I rely upon Kamadevi (’dod khams dbang mo) as the guardian of the Dharma. In this way, may the Ganga stream of accumulated merits, gained through the devotion of the community of disciples for the sake of printing the image of the renowned Lobsang Yeshe, the Sun of the Successive of Lives, by the community of disciples and attires, become an ornament that gathers all into his care. Mangalam! Dimensions: Image size 69.5 x 40 cm, Size incl. mounting 112 x 63 cm Mounted as a hanging scroll on silk. The Fifth Panchen Lama Lobsang Yeshe (1663-1737) was born of a well-known and noble family in the province of Tsang. He was soon recognised as the true incarnation of Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, (1570-1662), the Fourth Panchen Lama of Tibet, and was installed with great ceremony at Tashilhunpo Monastery. As abbot of Tashilhunpo, he tutored the Sixth and Seventh Dalai Lamas, providing them with vows, teachings on sutras and tantras, and affirming their incarnations amid political instability. Yeshe's tenure marked a pivotal era of engagement between Tibetan religious authorities and the Qing Empire; in 1713, Emperor Kangxi granted him the title Erdini (dharmaraja) via a golden seal, elevating the Panchen Lama's prestige and formalizing Qing recognition of his spiritual authority, an honor inherited by successors. Lobsang Yeshe is enumerated as either the Fifth or the Second Panchen Lama due there being two systems in Tibet, one held by the Ganden Podrang (which held Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen to be the First Panchen, and that of Tashilhunpo, which counted three lamas - Khedrubje Gelek Pelzang (1385-1438), Sonam Chokyi Langpo (1439-1505), and Wensapa Lobzang Dondrub (1505-1566) - to be the First, Second, and Third Panchen, respectively. The custom of the Treasury of Lives is to count Chokyi Gyeltsen as the Fourth, and Lobzang Yeshe as the Fifth Panchen Lama, following popular convention. Literature comparison: Compare a related thangka depicting the same subject, one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs, dated to the 19th century, size 68.3 × 41.2 cm, in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, cat. nos. 70.2/1216–1228. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 March 2026, lot 721 Mid-Estimate: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 53,000 converted at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related iconography and manner of painting. Note the similar size (63.8 x 36.8 cm).

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