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Lot Essay
This superb sculpture representation of the goddess Tara exemplifies the refined aesthetic and spiritual vision of Pala-period artists active in northeastern India between the 9th and 12th centuries. While her form is idealised, the sculpture captures the essence of feminine beauty with remarkable sensitivity. Her well-balanced proportions and full, sensuous body reflect both artistic mastery and devotional intent, hallmarks of the heralded sculptural tradition of the Pala ateliers.
Tara is depicted in lalitasana, the royal ease posture, with her right leg pendant, a pose imbued with both elegance and compassionate authority. As the Great Saviouress, she embodies the bodhisattva’s readiness to descend into the world to alleviate suffering.
The visual appeal of this work is further enhanced by its smooth, time-worn surface, the result of centuries of ritual handling. This prolonged devotional contact has imparted a subtle patina, giving the sculpture a skin-like warmth and softness. The finer details of her eyes and necklace are highlighted by silver and copper inlays, and the barely discernable pleats on her dhoti have been gently worn down over time.
Closely related examples also seated in rajalilasana, with supporting weight on the left arm, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and plump torsos include two Manjushris, one in the Museum de Kulturen, Basel (HAR 3314716) and the other in the Los Angeles County Museum (M.75.4.9), both attributed to Bihar. The broad face with planar features, heavy lidded eyes in each of these examples, are emblematic to both this later Pala period as well as to styles often linked to the region of Bihar. Also compare with a Tara seated on a double lotus but of the same scale in the Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi. Museum (#113), see Huntington, The Pala Sena Schools of Sculpture, Leiden, 1984, no. 271. Also compare patina and scale of a Manjushri sold Bonhams Hong Kong, 1 December 2023, lot 1853.
This Tara was most likely transferred by a pilgrim from India to Tibet at the time of production. The well-worn features suggest it was retained as a personal devotion object for the past millennia and bares testament to the magnetic power of sculpture of this scale and quality.
Tara is depicted in lalitasana, the royal ease posture, with her right leg pendant, a pose imbued with both elegance and compassionate authority. As the Great Saviouress, she embodies the bodhisattva’s readiness to descend into the world to alleviate suffering.
The visual appeal of this work is further enhanced by its smooth, time-worn surface, the result of centuries of ritual handling. This prolonged devotional contact has imparted a subtle patina, giving the sculpture a skin-like warmth and softness. The finer details of her eyes and necklace are highlighted by silver and copper inlays, and the barely discernable pleats on her dhoti have been gently worn down over time.
Closely related examples also seated in rajalilasana, with supporting weight on the left arm, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and plump torsos include two Manjushris, one in the Museum de Kulturen, Basel (HAR 3314716) and the other in the Los Angeles County Museum (M.75.4.9), both attributed to Bihar. The broad face with planar features, heavy lidded eyes in each of these examples, are emblematic to both this later Pala period as well as to styles often linked to the region of Bihar. Also compare with a Tara seated on a double lotus but of the same scale in the Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi. Museum (#113), see Huntington, The Pala Sena Schools of Sculpture, Leiden, 1984, no. 271. Also compare patina and scale of a Manjushri sold Bonhams Hong Kong, 1 December 2023, lot 1853.
This Tara was most likely transferred by a pilgrim from India to Tibet at the time of production. The well-worn features suggest it was retained as a personal devotion object for the past millennia and bares testament to the magnetic power of sculpture of this scale and quality.