IDNO

P.97059.WIL

Description

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
120. “Lonchen and his wife at their house 13.9.33”
See ww: Lonchen
MPOW: 105” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

A formal portrait of the Lonchen (Prime Minister) Yapshi Kung and his wife seated at their house. The Lonchen wears long broadcloth robes held in at the waist with sashes, and a long earring in the left ear. Like other male members of the aristocracy he wears his hair parted in the middle and arranged in two plaits brought up to the crown of the head and tied in a double top-knot with a red ribbon.

His wife wears a chuba (a long sleeve-less gown), a silk blouse, and a horizontally striped apron. She also wears an official Y-shaped headdresses of the Lhasa style, to which her own hair and false hair-pieces, as well as ornaments, are attached.

Underneath their chairs a rug has been laid on the ground. They are seated in front of glass windows in the wall of their house.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Lönchen Yapshi Kung

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

13 September 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Transcription: The transcription of this album by Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman was carried out with reference to Krystina Cech’s catalogue list alone. Alex Nadin has since revised their cataloguing by systematically matching their records to the images. Margaret Williamson’s handwritten captions for photographs have now been transcribed into the Inscription field, and Cech’s descriptions appear in the Description field. Correct entries for Place, Named Person and Other Nos. have also been entered by Alex Nadin. [Sudeshna Guha 29/10/2002]

Biographical Information: For further information on Lönchen Yapshi Kung see the Biographies File. [CJ 3/9/2008]

Clothing: “Women wore long sleeve-less gowns (chuba) and silk blouses. Over this they word aprons striped horizontally with red, green, yellow and white, the top corners of which were of heavily flowered gold braid. Only married women wore aprons. The main jewellery comprised an amulet box (ga’u) suspended from a necklace. These contained charms written on a piece of paper which is folded, covered with cloth and bound with coloured threads arranged in a geometrical pattern. Amulet boxes were frequently ornamented with turquoises, rubies and diamonds and hung from necklaces of coral and agate beads. On official occasions they wore either Y-shaped or hoop-shaped headdresses (depending on whether you were a Lhasa or a Gyantse/Shigatse noblewoman, respectively). The size and number of corals, pearls and turquoises decorating these headdresses would be determined by the wealth of the woman’s family. In the case of the Lhasa headdress, it was attached to a specially constructed ‘horn’ shaped structure incorporating the woman’s own hair and false hair-pieces.” [Source: Cech’s list, JD 15/5/2008]

Male dress: “Senior officials [of the] third and fourth rank ... were allowed to wear silk garments usually of a saffron-yellow colour with an interwoven dragon pattern. The robe was held in at the waist by a scarlet sash. Like all Tibetan robes it folded across the chest and was fastened by small gilt buttons under the right arm and down the right side. The sleeves were cut very long. A long earring was worn in the left ear and a wide brimmed gold brocade hat with coral and turquoise insignia on the top. From this ornament red tasselling hung down as far as the brim, while from this two further strips of braid, united in a jewelled clasp, hung over the shoulders. Junior officials [of the] fifth, sixth and seventh ranks ... wore long broadcloth robes of an indigo colour held in at the waist with red and yellow sashes, from the back of which hung small holders with chopsticks, jade-handled knives, pockets and other knick-knacks. Secretaries had pen cases pushed into their sashes. Flat-topped hats of yellow wool were balanced like basins on top of their heads. Although looking quite precarious, they were actually clipped securely over the top-knot of hair. All the males of all ranks of the aristocracy wore their hair parted in the middle and arranged in two plaits brought up to the crown of the head and tied in a double top-knot with a red ribbon. However, only nobles of third and fourth rank and the sons of a few of the noble families who were in government service, could wear the turquoise and gold charm box on top of their heads. As for the long turquoise and gold earring, it was worn by officials of any standing . [Source: Cech’s list, CJ 26/8/2008]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Caspian James 3/9/2008]