27th Jun, 2025 11:00
Fine Asian Art Summer Sale
24
A GILT AND POLYCHROME DRY LACQUER FIGURE OF TARA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Sold for €910
including Buyer's Premium
Mongolia or Tibet. Finely lacquered in gold, blue, green, yellow, orange and green on linen and clay composite. Tara is seated in lalitasana on an elaborate double-lotus pedestal framed by a beaded upper edge. The deity’s right foot resting on a separate padma issuing from the base, her right hand lowered in varada mudra, and her left hand held in vitarka mudra, each holding a long lotus stem coming to full bloom at the shoulders.
Tara is dressed in a loose-fitting dhoti and shawl with finely carved folds gathered at the feet and richly adorned with minutely beaded jewelry. Her serene face with almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, and red lips forming a calm smile. The hair tied into a high chignon topped by a jewel finial behind the foliate crown.
The base sealed with cloth.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, manufacturing irregularities, minor chips to the back and toes, little flaking and minor crackling to lacquer. Some of the lacquer work possibly renewed over time.
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: Height 17.5 cm
Syamatara, or Green Tara, is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as a compassionate, enlightened female Buddha. Known as the Mother of all Buddhas, she embodies the swift and protective qualities of divine feminine energy. Seen as the tantric counterpart to Avalokiteshvara, she is invoked for protection against worldly perils and to aid in the liberation of beings from suffering. Her role spans all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, where she is both a spiritual guide and a guardian.
Expert’s note:
Such delightfully painted figures were favored in Mongolia during the 18th and 19th centuries. The designs imitate Chinese silks and draw similarities with depictions of White Tara in Eastern Tibetan thangkas, see one example in the Rubin Museum of Art, accession number P2000.22.6, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 997.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 15 May 2016, lot 241
Price: USD 7,500 or approx. EUR 9,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychromed clay figure of Hayagriva and Naraitmya, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and decorations. Note the different subject and size (36.2 cm).
Mongolia or Tibet. Finely lacquered in gold, blue, green, yellow, orange and green on linen and clay composite. Tara is seated in lalitasana on an elaborate double-lotus pedestal framed by a beaded upper edge. The deity’s right foot resting on a separate padma issuing from the base, her right hand lowered in varada mudra, and her left hand held in vitarka mudra, each holding a long lotus stem coming to full bloom at the shoulders.
Tara is dressed in a loose-fitting dhoti and shawl with finely carved folds gathered at the feet and richly adorned with minutely beaded jewelry. Her serene face with almond-shaped eyes, gently arched brows, and red lips forming a calm smile. The hair tied into a high chignon topped by a jewel finial behind the foliate crown.
The base sealed with cloth.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, manufacturing irregularities, minor chips to the back and toes, little flaking and minor crackling to lacquer. Some of the lacquer work possibly renewed over time.
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: Height 17.5 cm
Syamatara, or Green Tara, is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as a compassionate, enlightened female Buddha. Known as the Mother of all Buddhas, she embodies the swift and protective qualities of divine feminine energy. Seen as the tantric counterpart to Avalokiteshvara, she is invoked for protection against worldly perils and to aid in the liberation of beings from suffering. Her role spans all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, where she is both a spiritual guide and a guardian.
Expert’s note:
Such delightfully painted figures were favored in Mongolia during the 18th and 19th centuries. The designs imitate Chinese silks and draw similarities with depictions of White Tara in Eastern Tibetan thangkas, see one example in the Rubin Museum of Art, accession number P2000.22.6, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 997.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 15 May 2016, lot 241
Price: USD 7,500 or approx. EUR 9,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychromed clay figure of Hayagriva and Naraitmya, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and decorations. Note the different subject and size (36.2 cm).
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