Tibetan Gilded Statuette of the Goddess Green-Tara

$1,613.12

A finely detailed Sino-Tibetan gilded bronze figurine of the saviour-goddess Green Tara, depicted with downcast eyes and a gently smiling mouth. The figure appear seated in Lalitasana on a lotus flower-shaped base with her hands in Vitarka and Varada, one at chest height and the other resting on her knee. Both hands are delicately holding the stem of a lotus flower that blooms over each of her shoulders. The statuette features a hollow base in order to contain Buddhist relics, which were placed inside before sealing it, the centre is enriched with a stamped flower motif. Statuettes, such as this beautiful example, were placed in temples and shrines, as a way to accrue the merit needed for good karma in Buddhist religion.

Date: Circa 18th- 19th century AD
Provenance: Ex North London collection, 2000s.
Condition: Excellent condition, complete and intact.

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SKU: GL-74 Category: Tags: , ,

Tara was a Buddhist goddess who had many different forms, and was particularly popular in Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia. She was the feminine equivalent of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, as well as the guardian of navigation and earthly travel. In Tibet, Tara was believed to have been incarnated in all religious women, she was said to have shown forms in the two wives of the first Buddhist King of Tibet. The White Tara, resembling purity, and the Green Tara known to several people as the original Tara. This fine figurine depicts the deity in her form known as “Green Tara” who is generally portrayed seated on a lotus throne with her right leg hanging down, wearing the ornaments of a bodhisattva, and holding a blue lotus flower.

To discover more about Tibetan bronze statuettes, please visit our relevant blog post: Tibetan Bronze Figures.

Weight 1445.8 g
Dimensions W 12.8 x H 22.2 cm
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Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 1987.142.357