TIBET, 16TH CENTURY

Tara is one of the most popular female deities in Buddhism and is revered for the protection and guidance she offers on the path toward enlightenment. Tara manifests in twenty-one forms, each representing specific qualities or actions, with Green Tara having a particular association with protection from fear. She is believed to have emerged from the tears of Avalokiteshvara as he wept for the suffering of all sentient beings, and is commonly depicted with her right leg outstretched, ready to respond to the suffering of humankind, as in the present sculpture.
She is seated in the posture of royal ease on a double-lotus base, her right hand held in the gesture of charity and the left raised to the chest in the gesture of elucidation. She holds two lotus stems with the blossoms rising to the side of her face, framing her benevolent smile. Wearing a dhoti and a loose shawl over the shoulders, she is adorned with turquoise-inlay ornaments around the waist and the chest. Certain elements, such as the form of the five-leafed tiara, the high chignon of hair, and the lavish turquoise inlay, evoke a Central Tibetan style associated with the fifteenth-century master artisan, Sonam Gyaltsen of Shigatse. Compare the overall body type, double-layered lower garment, and lotus petals to another Green Tara, attributed to the atelier of Sonam Gyaltsen, sold at Bonhams New York, 23 March 2020, lot 630.