Page 126 - Bonhams NYC Portraits of the Masters Bronzes march 2017

3300
A LARGE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF
THE THIRD CHANGKYA HUTUKTU, ROLPAI DORJE
QIANLONG PERIOD
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2288
13 in. (33 cm) high

US$150,000 - 200,000

乾隆時期 銅鎏金三世章嘉呼圖克圖若必多吉像

Cast with volume and presence, this bronze is no doubt an important commission
to honor the most important Tibetan lama at the 18th-century Qing court, the Third
Changkya Hutuktu, Rolpai Dorje (1717-86). The identification is facilitated by the
distinctive congenital bump on his lower right cheek. Meanwhile, the bronze is also
comprised of the same hat and iconography that typify his sculptures. By each of his
arms is a lotus holder that would have supported two separately cast lotus stems,
with a sword emerging from the flower on his right side, and a book on his left. This
iconographic arrangement arises from his being considered a manifestation of Manjushri.

The Changkya Hutuktu is a Gelug incarnate lineage with its seat at Changkya in Kham,
Eastern Tibet. “Hutuktu” is a Mongolian word meaning “spiritual master”. At an early age,
Rolpai Dorje was recognized as the reincarnation of Ngawang Losang Choden (1642-
1714), the previous Changkya Hutuktu and spiritual adviser of the Kangxi emperor (1662-
1722). Raised and educated in the imperial court of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-35),
Rolpai Dorje grew up with prince Hongli who later became the Qianlong emperor (1736-
96). A trusted advisor of the emperor, and fluent in Tibetan, Manchu, Chinese, and
Mongolian, Rolpai Dorje played a crucial role in the relations between Tibet, China, and
Mongolia, and influenced policies of all three countries.

Also remembered as a prominent scholar and translator, Rolpai Dorje organized the
translation of the entire Tripitaka into Mongolian, Chinese and Manchu. He was also
involved in the artistic projects of the imperial workshops, and the design of monasteries
and temples created during the Qianlong reign. Furthermore, he oversaw the cataloging
of the palace collection of Buddhist bronzes and paintings. To commemorate his death,
the emperor built a massive funerary temple at Mount Wutai, a sacred Buddhist site
located in Shanxi province, China.

The present lot compares favorably to another bronze figure of Rolpai Dorje with similar
face, robes, and cushion patterns published in Lipton & Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan
Art, New York, 1996, pp.84-5. Also compare to a smaller example in the Capital
Museum, Beijing, published in Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series: Buddhist Statues
(I), Beijing, 1999, p.202, no.169.

Published
Portraits of the Masters, pp.328-9, no.94.

Published & Exhibited
Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, p.217, no.190.

Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 30 November 1994, lot 79

124 | BONHAMS