113. * A PORTRAIT THANGKA OF NGAWANG CHOKYI DRAGPA Tibet, 17th century Distemper and gold on cloth; verso inscribed with several lines of Tibetan prayers, mantras, and auspicious verses. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 2855 Image: 55.5 x 41.5 cm (21 7/8 x 16 3/8 in.) Provenance: Property from a Southern California Estate. Ngwang Chokyi Dragpa (1572-1641) was the head abbot of Sakya monastery in the second quarter of the 17th century. He was an important figure with prominent teachers and students. Taranatha (1575-1634) and Lochen Gyurme Dechen (1540-1615) were among his teachers. His students included leaders of the Sakya tradition, the 15th abbot of Ngor school Kunga Sonam Lhundrup (1571-1642) and the 27th Sakya Tridzin Jamgon Amnye Zhab (1597-1659). A student identified by inscription as Chodrag Zangpo sits before Ngwang Chokyi Dragpa, offering him a golden rice mandala. Jetsun Dragpa Gylatsen (1147-1216) presides over the top center of the painting. That Ngwang Chokyi Dragpa is seated on a throne and holds a long life vase suggests he was alive at the time of this painting's creation in the 17th century. A stylistically related, slightly earlier painting of Chetsang Rinpoche, is published in Rhie and Thurman (eds.), Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Expanded Edition, 2000, pp. 250-1, no. 87.