A Large Gilt Bronze Figure of Tara

MONGOLIA, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A Large Gilt Bronze Figure of Tara
Mongolia, 18th Century
Finely cast seated in lalitasana on an elevated double-lotus base with incised floral bands, her right foot resting on a separate padma issuing from the base, her hands in varada and vitarka mudra holding lotus stems rising up to flank her shoulders, wearing a long flowing dhoti incised with fine floral patterns within 'cash'-borders and a sash across her shoulders tied above her waist and swirling down to the side, her face with a benign expression flanked by disk earrings inset with turquoise and coral, surmounted by a foliate tiara, chignon and Buddha-head finial
20 in. (50.8 cm.) high

Lot Essay

While Mongolian bronzes are generally of very fine craftsmanship, large bronze figures of Tara are very rare. For the Zanabazar prototype, see P. Berger and T. Bartholomew, Mongolia, The Legacy of Chinggis Khan, 1995, fig. 5 and cat. no. 103, from the Bogdo Khan Palace Museum, Ulaanbaatar.

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