A Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze figure of the third Changkya Hutuktu, Rolpai Dorje, Qianlong period, the Gelug Lama finely modelled seated in dhyanasana with hands held in abhaya mudra, wearing a distinctive hat and finely incised long robe, raised on a rug-covered two-tier dais, height 16.4cm. Provenance: the Alain Presencer Collection, Ernest Ohly Gallery, London, 1972, and Bonhams Hong Kong, 2nd October 2018, Lot 147. Note: for a similarly depicted figure, see Bonhams New York, 14th March 2017, Lot 3300. Rolpai Dorje (1717-1786) was the most important Tibetan Lama at the 18th century Qing Court. The Changkya Hutuktu is a Gelug incarnate lineage with its seat at Changkya in Kham, Eastern Tibet. 'Hutuktu' is a Mongolian word meaning 'Spiritual Master'. At a young age, Rolpei Dorje was recognised as the reincarnation of Ngawang Losang Choden (1642-1714), the previous Changkya Hutuktu and spiritual advisor to the Kangxi Emperor (1662-1722). Rolpei Dorje was raised and educated in the Imperial Court of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735), growing up with Prince Hongli, who later became the Qianlong Emperor. He became a trusted advisor of the Emperor and fluent in Tibetan, Manchu, Chinese and Mongolian, playing a crucial role in the relations between China, Tibet and Mongolia.