Silver Statue of Fifth Dalai Lama,Qing Dynasty figural statue,50.5 cm high

The Fifth Dalai Lama Ngag-dbang Blo-bzang-rgya-mtsho(1617-1682)was the most outstanding Buddhist leader,politician, and scholar of the seventeenth century in Tibet.He was also the founder of the dGav-ldan-pho-brang Regime(a local political power)of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect.He was very diligent in his studies and eager to learn.He was learned in Sanskrit,poetry,calculation,medicine,and Buddhism and was an author of a large number of books.His collected works amount to thirty volumes.In the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty,he allied with Gushi Khan and played an important role in helping the dGe-lugs-pa Sect come to power,establishing the relations between the Local Government of Tibet and the Qing Government,keeping Tibet in peace for decades and promoting the development of Tibetan society and culture.Therefore,Tibetan religious and secular people greatly cherish and esteem him,respectfully calling "The Great Fifth".This silver statue was a gift presented to Emperor Shunzhi by the Fifth Dalai Lama when he paid homage to the Emperor in Beijing 1652.