Abstract: This lecture explores how portraiture and epigraphy intersected in the formation of authority in Tibetan Buddhist art. Focusing on inscribed metal portraits and portable statuary of Lowo Khenchen Sönam Lhündrup (1456–1532) in Mustang and the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617–1682) in Central Tibet, it examines how epigraphic practices mediated the relations between image, devotion, and power. In these works, inscriptions function not merely as textual supplements but as active agents that construct the lama’s spiritual presence, define identity, and articulate legitimacy across religious and political domains. The lecture invites reflection on how the interplay of text and image made the portraits of Tibetan masters enduring presences, transforming devotion into an art of authority.
About the speaker: Yannick Laurent holds a PhD in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford. He is a Research Fellow at the Pritzker Art Collaborative in Chicago and a postdoctoral researcher with the Epigraphica Tibetana project at the Cluster of Excellence “Cross-Cultural Philosophy” at LMU.