INCISED KANGXI 32ND YEAR MARK, CORRESPONDING TO 1693 AND OF THE PERIOD

The delicate details, slightly angular features and heavy gilding seen on the current figure are characteristic of Buddhist bronzes made in Sino-Tibetan style during the Kangxi period. It is both a reflection of the religious beliefs of the Kangxi emperor and a reminder of the political importance of Tibetan Buddhism to the Manchu ruling house in forging their alliance with Mongolia and Tibet. In Kangxi 36th year (1697), a Sutra Recitation Office was set up within the palace in the Zhongzhengdian (Hall of Central Uprightness), devoted to Tibetan Buddhist activities at court, including conducting the recitation of sutras and supervising the casting and storage of Buddhist images and religious ritual objects. Thus it appears the Emperor’s devotion to Tibetan Buddhism was beyond political calculation, and was possibly influenced by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who was a Mongol princess and adherent of Tibetan Buddhism.