ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the significance of the Masters' portraits for the Theosophical community, arguing that their production was compatible with the Theosophical Society's general reluctance to portray holy or divine beings or use sacred images. Although portraits of the Masters would ultimately become rare in Theosophical milieus, this was not yet the case in the period of Blavatsky's early career, which coincided with surrounding practices of spirit painting. The Harrisse portrait was painted by a human artist telepathically guided by Blavatsky and was not a precipitation. The most important portraits of the Masters in Theosophical history were produced by the German painter Hermann Schmiechen. Schmiechen's Koot Hoomi and Morya are typical examples of Orientalist "noble Indians", although the portraits also subtly refer to another iconographic register. The semi-canonical status of Schmiechen's works discouraged further portraits, and Theosophical iconoclasm was strong enough to prevent Master paintings from becoming a prolific genre.
