A large gilt-copper repoussé figure of Green Tara


Tibet, 16th centuryWell modelled seated in lalitasana, the right hand in varada mudra and the left in vitarka mudra, each holding long leafy lotus stems, wearing elaborate jewellery and an incised robe falling in drapes, her shoulders supporting a celestial scarf, the face with benevolent expression flanked by pendulous earlobes, crowned with a five-leaf tiara enclosing the hair coiled into an elaborate chignon, wood stand. 40.4cm (16in) high. (2).
|十六世紀 銅鎏金多羅菩薩坐像Green Tara, also known as Shyamatara, is venerated as a saviour and liberator from samsara, the earthly realm of birth and rebirth. According to Buddhist mythology, Green Tara emerged from a lotus bud rising from a lake of the tears of Avalokiteshvara, shed for the suffering of all sentient beings. She embodies compassion in a dynamic form, hence the usual depiction of the goddess with right leg outstretched, ready to leap out to ease suffering. Her right hand is held out in varada mudra, a gesture of compassion and charity, and the left hand in vitarka mudra, a gesture of teaching.