Item: Teacher (Lama) - (unidentified, male, monastic)

Teacher, Drugpa Kagyu Teacher of Bhutan. This textile applique is likely from a much larger set of paintings depicting a lineage of teachers for a particular tradition or religious institution such as a monastery or temple. The hat is distinctive of Bhutan along with the colour palette and the attention to details in the portrait like face.

At the top center is a very small figure of Vajrasattva, white in colour, holding a vajra to the heart with the right hand and an upturned bell at the waist with the left hand.

Jeff Watt 6-2009