TWO PORTRAITS OF ZANABAZAR AND THE SEVENTH JETSUNDAMPA KHUTUKTUMONGOLIA, 19TH CENTURY Distemper and gold on cloth. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1426 Image:5 7/8 x 5 1/8 in. (14.9 x 13 cm), each; Folio: 6 5/8 x 5 7/8 in. (16.8 x 14.9 cm), each 蒙古 十九世紀 扎納巴扎爾及七世哲布尊丹巴圖克圖肖像 With related scroll paintings in the Bogd Khan Palace Museum, Ulaanbaatar, these two small finely-painted portraits depict Bogdo Gegen Zanabazar (1635–1723) and his subsequent incarnation as the Seventh Jebtsundampa Khutuktu, Ngagwang Chokyi Wangchug (1849/50-1868) (cf. Tsultem, Development of the Mongolian National Style Painting "Mongol Zurag" in Brief , 1986, nos. 111 & 116; also republished as HAR 49091 & 49095 currently without attributions). Zanabazar was a chosen leader descended from Chinggis Khan and a true Renaissance man. He was both the most powerful political and religious figure among the independent Khalkha Mongols and a visionary artist who created a workshop of supreme sophistication. Zanabazar was instrumental in the Mongols' decision to give allegiance to the Manchu Qing in 1691. His incarnation lineage, the Jebtsundampa Khutuktu, lead the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism in Outer Mongolia during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Two related paintings of other subjects are in Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts, Ulaanbaatar (HAR 50003 & 50067). Provenance: Private American Collection