Headdress
late 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This felt headdress, marking the status of an Abbot, is part of a complete set of clothes once owned by Demo Rinpoche, the last Abbot of Tengyeling monastery in Lhasa. He was implicated in a plot to kill the young 13th Dalai Lama by sewing deadly charms into the soles of his boots. The plot was revealed by the State Oracle while in a trance and Demo Rinpoche and others were imprisoned in the Potala Palace. Demo Rinpoche himself died a few months later. The Tibetan government dissolved Tengyeling monastery and sold off its possessions, including this costume.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woollen felt, card covered with cotton threads, edged with cotton fringe, and silk |
| Brief description | Lama's headdress of woollen felt, cotton and silk, Lhasa, late 19th century |
| Physical description | Headdress of yellow woollen felt with a card board crescent-shaped crest loosely covered with buff coloured cotton threads, and edged with a short cotton fringe. Silk tags behind. |
| Dimensions |
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| Historical context | This headdress forms part of the complete costume (IM.92 to G-1930) worn by the last abbot of the Tengyeling monastery in Lhasa. Implicated in a plot of the Regent's to killl the young 13th Dalai Lama by sewing death dealing charms into the soles of his boots his monastery was disenfranchised and its contents sold off by the Tibetan government. Acquired by David Macdonald, the British Trade Agent at Gyantse. |
| Production | Formerly owned by the abbot of the Tengyeling monastery, Lhasa |
| Summary | This felt headdress, marking the status of an Abbot, is part of a complete set of clothes once owned by Demo Rinpoche, the last Abbot of Tengyeling monastery in Lhasa. He was implicated in a plot to kill the young 13th Dalai Lama by sewing deadly charms into the soles of his boots. The plot was revealed by the State Oracle while in a trance and Demo Rinpoche and others were imprisoned in the Potala Palace. Demo Rinpoche himself died a few months later. The Tibetan government dissolved Tengyeling monastery and sold off its possessions, including this costume. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.92E-1930 |
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| Record created | November 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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