TIBET, 18TH CENTURY Distemper on cloth, with original silk borders, veil, and gilt copper alloy dowel caps. Bearing an inscribed label in French describing the subject and a previous inventory number '39G98' stamped on the back of the top rail. Himalayan Art Resources item no.4511 Image: 72 x 45 cm (28 1/4 x 17 3/4 in.); With silks: 140.5 x 72.5 cm (55 3/8 x 28 1/2 in.)Footnotes西藏 十八世紀 七世達賴喇嘛格桑嘉措唐卡 Portraying the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kalsang Gyatso (1708-57), this fine thangka belongs to a set of thirteen depicting the Dalai Lama lineage. First created during the life of the Seventh Dalai Lama, the original set also served as a model for carved woodblocks that were later used to make prints on cloth and paper, some of which in turn became underdrawings for painting sets. For a complete thangka set preserved at the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Wang (ed.), Zangchuan fojiao tangka, 2006, pp.10-23, nos.7-19. Soon after his birth, Kalsang Gyatso, whose name means "ocean of good fortune", was declared the rebirth of the Sixth Dalai Lama. At eight years old, he was enthroned and officially recognized as a Dalai Lama by the Kangxi emperor (r.1661-1722). The boy later grew to become a successful religious and political leader, arguably the most important Dalai Lama after the Great Fifth. He established a number of institutions, such as the Kashnaki, a leadership cabinet that remained at the apex of secular administration in Tibet until 1959. Kalsang Gyatso also founded a school specializing in calligraphy, literature, and astrology, the primary subjects required for Tibetan government service, and an archival office that regulated all aspects of secular and monastic culture. In this beautifully executed painting, the Seventh Dalai Lama is presented both as an individual and as part of a lineage of incarnations. Dressed in multiple layers of voluminous robes, he holds a manuscript in his left hand and a lotus blossom in his right, under a sword and a sutra. His throne back, as well as each of his robes and cushions, are covered in dense gold patterns achieved with confident brush strokes. Above him, Tsongkhapa (founder of the Gelug school) and his two main disciples are flanked by Vajrabhairava and White Tara. Within the grassy foreground, Yama Dharmaraja, Palden Lhamo, and Vaishravana appear on their prescribed mounts: a buffalo, mule, and snow lion. All the ancillary figures are afforded equally exquisite details. Compare with the Seventh Dalai Lama painting of identical composition from the aforementioned Palace Museum set (ibid., pp.10-1, no.7). For another example of the same composition but from a different Dalai Lama set, see HAR 31243. Provenance: Private French Collection, by the early 20th century