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Secondary sourcePainting18th century

The Fifth Karmapa Received by the Yongle Emperor in Nanjing

Karshu Gonpo Dorje · 18th century

An eighteenth-century painting showing the Yongle Emperor receiving the Fifth Karmapa, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, at his court in Nanjing.

This painting depicts the Yongle Emperor receiving the Fifth Karmapa at his court, showing his diplomatic ties with Tibetan Buddhism.

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Painted scroll showing a seated lama in red and gold robes and a black hat on a throne, holding ritual objects, while a seated emperor in yellow robes sits to the right. Attendants with incense and offerings, pagodas, clouds, and a deity in a red halo appear above.
Karshu Gonpo Dorje, The Fifth Karmapa Received by the Yongle Emperor in Nanjing, 18th century.

About this source

What it is

This eighteenth-century painting by Karshu Gonpo Dorje shows the Fifth Karmapa, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, seated on a throne in red and gold robes, holding ritual objects, while the Yongle Emperor sits nearby in yellow robes. Attendants with incense and offerings surround them, with pagodas, clouds, and a deity above.

Why it matters

This painting commemorates a real diplomatic and religious exchange between the Ming court and Tibetan Buddhism, reflecting the Yongle Emperor's interest in cultivating relationships with Tibetan religious leaders. Made centuries after the event, it reflects how later generations remembered and depicted this meeting.

Look closer

  • What visual details show the Karmapa's religious importance compared to the emperor's political status?
  • Why might this scene have been painted so long after the event occurred?
  • What does the inclusion of a deity above the scene suggest about how the artist wanted viewers to understand this meeting?

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