A FINE AND RARE GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF CHANGKYA ROLPAI DORJE

Estimated Value:

18.000 € - 25.000 €

Schätzpreis:

Description:

Tibet, 18th ct.
H. 16,2 cm
The Changkya Hutuku seated on a brocaded cushion embellished with a sash, with right hand in vitarka mudra, wearing robes incised with a lotus pattern and the distinctive hat associated with the Geluk hierarchs, the right side of the face showing the distinctive congenital bump of the master.
Ulla Nordström Private Collection, Ostindiska Kompaniet, Stockholm, 1979 by repute - Private collection Stockholm, Sweden
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13724
The Changkya Hutuktu is associated with the Mongolian Geluk lineage, the primary seat located in Chamgkya in Kham in Eastern Tibet. Rolpai Dorje was recognized as the reincarnation of Ngawang Losang Choden (1642-1714), the previous Changkya Hutuktu and spiritual adviser to the Kangxi Emperor (1662-1722). Educated at the imperial court of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735), Rolpai Dorje formed a strong relationship with his fellow student, the future Qianlong Emperor (1736-1796).
Here, the hierarch wears the mitre-shaped hat affiliated with the Changkya Hutuku lamas and bears his distinctive mark of a small growth on the right side of his face. Other example of Rolpai Dorje in bronze can be seen in the Field Museum of Natural History. A larger example is published in Donald Dinwiddie, ed., Portraits of the Masters, 2003, pp. 328-9, cat. no. 94.
Minor wear to gilding, attributes lost, re-sealed

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