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Lot Essay
This exquisite painting would have been part of a larger set of likely forty-four paintings depicting the mandalas of the Vajravali compendium. An inscription at the bottom of the painting indicates that it was commissioned by Yintao, Prince Lü, the twelfth of twenty sons of the Kangxi Emperor, and iconographically designed by Changkya Rolpa'i Dorje, the personal Buddhist teacher of the Qianlong Emperor and head lama in Beijing during the 18th century.
Relatively little is known of Yintao (1686-1763). His adolescence was spent shuttling between Beijing and the various retreats and palaces outside the capital, and later, as an Imperial prince, he was tasked with various ceremonial and bureaucratic offices. The question of who would succeed his father resulted in infighting and Yintao, along with a number of his brothers, were demoted when Yinzhen rose to become the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722-1735), although he escaped the worse fate of some of his brothers, who died in imprisonment. After the Yongzheng Emperor passed, Yintao regained some of his previous titles under the rule of his nephew, the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796).
Much more is known of Changkya Rolpa'i Dorje (1717-1786), who was raised in the Qing court and went on to become the most important Buddhist figure in Beijing. At an early age, he was recognized as the next incarnation of the Changkya lineage, which traditionally held its seat at the Gönlung Jampa Ling, a Gelugpa monastery in Amdo. When some figures associated with this monastery, alongside certain Mongol tribes, rose up in rebellion against the Qing court in 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor ordered the monastery destroyed, but invited the young Changkya back to Beijing, where he was raised within the court. In Beijing, he was instructed in Buddhist studies alongside Yongzheng's son, Prince Hungli, who would go on to become the Qianlong Emperor.
In 1734, Rolpa'i Dorje was allowed to accompany the 7th Dalai Lama, who had been visiting Beijing, back to Tibet. While there, he also traveled to Shigatse, where he studied under the Panchen Lama and was ordained as a full monk. His time in Tibet was short, however, as upon the death of the Yongzheng Emperor in 1736, he was recalled to Beijing by his childhood friend, the Qianlong Emperor. He was put in charge of Buddhist affairs in the capital, and acted as religious preceptor to the emperor. Throughout his career, Rolpa'i Dorje had an enormous influence on the relations between the Qing court and the Buddhist institutions of Tibet. He advised Qianlong to recognize the Dalai Lama as the spiritual and secular leader of Tibet, promoting the Gelug sect over the other Tibetan Buddhist schools, and was even involved in recognizing the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama after the 7th passed in 1757. Rolpa'i Dorje also encouraged the Panchen Lama to visit Beijing for an official audience with Qianlong in 1779. A set of paintings depicting the previous incarnations of the Panchen Lama were commissioned for this grand ceremony, nine of which were sold at Christie's New York on 18 September 2013 (lot 256).
While not in Tibet on official visits, Rolpa'i Dorje was heavily involved in advancing Tibetan Buddhism within the capital. Beginning in 1741, Rolpa'i Dorje began to work with a Mongolian monk named Gonpokyab on translating the Sutra on Iconometry (Ch. Zaoxiang liangdu). This text laid out the methods for designing Buddhist images, and became the standard for religious artists working in the Imperial courts.
The present painting was almost certainly commissioned between 1736, when Rolpa'i Dorje returned to Beijing following his ordination as a full monk, and 1763, when Yintao passed. However, his work on systematizing Buddhist iconometry suggests the present painting was likely created from the 1740s onwards.
Relatively little is known of Yintao (1686-1763). His adolescence was spent shuttling between Beijing and the various retreats and palaces outside the capital, and later, as an Imperial prince, he was tasked with various ceremonial and bureaucratic offices. The question of who would succeed his father resulted in infighting and Yintao, along with a number of his brothers, were demoted when Yinzhen rose to become the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722-1735), although he escaped the worse fate of some of his brothers, who died in imprisonment. After the Yongzheng Emperor passed, Yintao regained some of his previous titles under the rule of his nephew, the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796).
Much more is known of Changkya Rolpa'i Dorje (1717-1786), who was raised in the Qing court and went on to become the most important Buddhist figure in Beijing. At an early age, he was recognized as the next incarnation of the Changkya lineage, which traditionally held its seat at the Gönlung Jampa Ling, a Gelugpa monastery in Amdo. When some figures associated with this monastery, alongside certain Mongol tribes, rose up in rebellion against the Qing court in 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor ordered the monastery destroyed, but invited the young Changkya back to Beijing, where he was raised within the court. In Beijing, he was instructed in Buddhist studies alongside Yongzheng's son, Prince Hungli, who would go on to become the Qianlong Emperor.
In 1734, Rolpa'i Dorje was allowed to accompany the 7th Dalai Lama, who had been visiting Beijing, back to Tibet. While there, he also traveled to Shigatse, where he studied under the Panchen Lama and was ordained as a full monk. His time in Tibet was short, however, as upon the death of the Yongzheng Emperor in 1736, he was recalled to Beijing by his childhood friend, the Qianlong Emperor. He was put in charge of Buddhist affairs in the capital, and acted as religious preceptor to the emperor. Throughout his career, Rolpa'i Dorje had an enormous influence on the relations between the Qing court and the Buddhist institutions of Tibet. He advised Qianlong to recognize the Dalai Lama as the spiritual and secular leader of Tibet, promoting the Gelug sect over the other Tibetan Buddhist schools, and was even involved in recognizing the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama after the 7th passed in 1757. Rolpa'i Dorje also encouraged the Panchen Lama to visit Beijing for an official audience with Qianlong in 1779. A set of paintings depicting the previous incarnations of the Panchen Lama were commissioned for this grand ceremony, nine of which were sold at Christie's New York on 18 September 2013 (lot 256).
While not in Tibet on official visits, Rolpa'i Dorje was heavily involved in advancing Tibetan Buddhism within the capital. Beginning in 1741, Rolpa'i Dorje began to work with a Mongolian monk named Gonpokyab on translating the Sutra on Iconometry (Ch. Zaoxiang liangdu). This text laid out the methods for designing Buddhist images, and became the standard for religious artists working in the Imperial courts.
The present painting was almost certainly commissioned between 1736, when Rolpa'i Dorje returned to Beijing following his ordination as a full monk, and 1763, when Yintao passed. However, his work on systematizing Buddhist iconometry suggests the present painting was likely created from the 1740s onwards.