STATUETTE DU TROISIÈME CHANGKYA HUTUKTU, ROLPAI DORJE

XVIIIe siècle

Footnotes

十八世紀 銅鎏金三世章嘉呼圖克圖若必多吉像

Provenance:
Formerly in a French collection in South-East France (by repute).

來源
法國東南部私人舊藏（傳）

Changkya Rolpai Dorje (1717-1786), the Third Changkya of the Changkya Khutukhtu lineage, was the principal authority of Tibetan Buddhism at the Chinese court for half a century during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. He was known by his Mongolian hereditary title of Changkya Hutuktu, "His Holiness" or "The Great Blessed One", an epithet for an eminent religious authority in the Qing dynasty milieu. 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. In 1734, Rolpai Dorje was appointed National Preceptor by Prince Hongli's father and predecessor, the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-35), who bestowed the rank of 'Teacher of the Empire' upon him.

While Rolpai Dorje is often depicted with a squarish jaw and a formidable gaze, see HAR 33510 for another example showing him with an oval physiognomy and sweet expression like the present bronze. His hat with its distinctly folded lappets may be used to identify him. His most distinctive feature, a congenital bump on his proper right cheek, is not found on the present work.