IDNO

P.97084.WIL

Description

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
134a/b. “Kunphela, Chense lingka 3.10.33”
See ww: Kunphela” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

An individual portrait of Kunphela taken at Chense-lingka. He looks, smiling, at the camera and wears the characteristic long-sleeved broadcloth robes, held in at the waist with a sash, and tucked in under the right arm.

Behind him, a light coloured cloth has been stretched over the wall, above which are windows with decorative frames.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa; Chense Lingka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Kunphela

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

3 October 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]

Bibliographical Reference: The Williamson’s visit to Chense Lingka at Norbulingka is mentioned in Williamson, Margaret, 1987. Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife (Wisdom Publication, London) p.123, which has the following test:
“Down a broad avenue of poplar trees we found Chense Lingka, meaning ‘favourite garden’, which consisted of another private palace and garden that Kunphel-la had recently designed and built for His Holiness. Here more flowers bloomed and we saw the bower where His Holiness liked to sit in the afternoon. Behind the main palace was another small palace with a sun-room at the rear.” [JD 16/5/2008]

Place: “Chensek Potrang - This palace was built in 1922 within the Norbulingka complex for Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama by a wealthy lay Buddhist supporter called Chensek Kumbu.” [Source: Cech’s list, JD 16/5/2008]

Biographical Information: For further information on Kunphela see the Biographies File. [CJ 5/9/2008]

Clothing: 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 5/9/2008]