Dalai Lama Incarnation Painting Set (The Field Museum)
An outline page has been created for a set of paintings belonging to The Field Museum of Chicago. The four paintings belong to a five painting set depicting all of the Dalai Lama incarnations up to the 7th Dalai Lama (1708-1757) along with pre-incarnations. The depiction of each of the central figures, three per painting, is based on the famous Nartang Block Print Set of compositions from Nartang Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet. The central figure for the set is the 7th Dalai Lama, Kalzang Gyatso. At the top and bottom of each painting are depictions of the Buddha & Sixteen Arhats along with Attendants & Guardian Kings. For two of the paintings, at the bottom center, there are two protector deities - Inner Yama Dharmaraja & Magzor Gyalmo.
The missing painting depicts the 1st, 3rd and 5th Dalai Lamas along with the arhat Gopaka, the patron Hvashang & two of the Guardian Kings - Virudhaka and Dritarashtra. (Click on the individual paintings for the identification of each figure).