Footnotes

銅鎏金三世章嘉胡克圖若必多傑（1717-1786）像
清 十八世紀

Rolpai Dorje (c.1717-1786) was a close friend and spiritual advisor of the Qianlong emperor. The distinctive shape of his head and features serve to identify him, along with the bronze's iconography. He is portrayed with a furrowed brow and a discerning expression. Two lotus stems flourish at his shoulders, presenting a sword and book, suggesting Rolpai Dorje is an incarnation of Manjushri, the Wisdom Bodhisattva. Compare a similar bronze of Rolpai Dorje sold at Bonhams, 14 March 2017, New York, lot 3297. Another is published in Xia (ed.), Pu Ti Miao Xiang, Shenyang, 2001, p.72, no.71.

From the age of seven, Rolpai Dorje was educated at the Qing court alongside the Qianlong emperor. He went on to serve as the Qing state preceptor, and with his seat of power in Inner Mongolia, he was a central agent of Qing diplomacy in Inner Asia. Rolpai Dorje was also pivotal to the development of Buddhist art and culture of the Qing dynasty, supervising the construction and installation of temples, the production of Buddha images, and the creation of multilingual Buddhist texts.

Exhibited
Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, February 1 – July 15, 2019.

Published
Karl Debreczeny (ed.), Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 2019, p.192&4, fig.9.2.

Provenance
Private Swiss Collection since 2007