A THANGKA OF TARA


TIBET, 18TH CENTURYDistemper on silk.Himalayan Art Resources item no.61774 Image: 53 x 34.5 cm (21 x 13 1/2 in.);With silks: 111 x 60 cm (43 3/4 x 23 1/2 in.)
|This beautifully drafted composition with rare iconography likely derives from a set depicting the Twenty-One Taras of the Saryagupta tradition; a thangka displaying all twenty-one in a single composition in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford shows an identical representation of Tara in its bottom right corner (HAR no.35112). At the same time, the iconography matches that of Maheshvari, the female aspect of the important Hindu god Shiva, also worshiped in Buddhist practice. She too rides a bull mount, wears a tiger skin garment, and holds a floral mala and trident. She is identified by inscription within the Buddhist pantheon at the Yonghegong, Beijing, see Statues in the Sanctuary of Buddhist Essence, 2013, p.388, no.578. ProvenanceJohn Stewart, Hong Kong, 7 December, 2012 Private European Collection度母唐卡 西藏，十八世紀 絹本設色。 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61774號畫心: 53 x 34.5 釐米（21 x 13 1/2 英吋）; 裝裱: 111 x 60 釐米（43 3/4 x 23 1/2 英吋）250,000-350,000港元 此張精美的唐卡呈現了度母的一種特殊的圖像學形態，可能是從淨護傳承的二十一度母中衍生而出。另論一幅在牛津阿什莫林博物館的度母唐卡（參見喜馬拉雅藝術資源網35112號），二十一位度母展示於同一幅構圖中，圖底右側的度母像與本拍品完全一致。於此同時，此圖像也與印度教濕婆神的女性面摩醯首羅母相符，她雖為印度教神祇但也被佛教徒信奉。摩醯首羅母也騎牛、著虎皮、並持花蔓串珠以及三叉戟。摩醯首羅母也在北京雍和宮的藏品中出現並配有銘文（參見《 Statues in the Sanctuary of Buddhist Essence》，2013年，頁388，578號）。  來源 John Stewart，香港，2012年12月7日歐洲私人收藏