Robe Item Number: Ee4.61 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Gold coloured robe with brocade roundels. The robe has a round neck, long sleeves and centre opening with metal frog closures. There are slits in the sides and back. On the front, back and sleeves are large roundels containing a five-toed dragon motif in silver and gold, on yellow ground. The inside lining is dark blue silk.

Narrative

Yapshi-Yuthok Kalon Tashi Dhondup Collection: The title Yapshi is given to all families that have a Dalai Lama born into the family, and Shape and Kalon are titles that the four lay Cabinet Ministers hold. The Yuthok family is descended from the 10th Dalai Lama, Tsultrim Gyatso. Being a Minister in the Traditional Tibetan Government, Yapshi-Yuthok Tashi Dhondup was also known as Shape or Kalon Yuthok. There is one item belonging to Kalon Yuthok that is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum: a Tibetan saddle, which he used on special occasions and during the Tibetan New Year when he would go to the Potala Palace. It was the wish of the late Mrs. Tsering Dolkar Yapshi-Yuthok that the museum display the family's heirloom textiles so that visitors could learn about Tibet's rich history and culture.