Item: Teacher (Lama) - Milarepa

Milarepa (1052-1135): the great poet yogi of Tibet, principal student to Marpa the translator, and teacher of Rechungpa and Gampopa. (See a comparison of other Milarepa paintings with the central figure in the same posture).

An inscription on the back states that it was "painted by the hand of Chogyur Lingpa." If the inscription is in fact accurate then it would likely have been painted sometime between the mid 1800s and 1870. The significant questions are, did Chogyur Lingpa copy a previous model for the form of Milarepa or did he create this composition from his own imagination? Was Chogyur Lingpa known as an artist as well as a Kagyu and Nyingma Terton - "Treasure Discoverer"? Does his biography mention or provide a list of the artworks he created?

Jeff Watt 9-2009