A Tibetan or Himalayan gilt alloy figure of a Bodhisattva, probably Tara The Bodhisattva of Compassion and Consort of Avalokiteshvara; seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base with both her hands expressed in mudra; her hair falling in long tresses across both shoulders and with a third eye on her forehead. Both shoulders and both arms with a long flowing scarf wrapped around them; 16.5 cm high, 19th CenturyProvenance: The Property of a Lady. From a Private English Collection. According to family tradition, this sculpture was acquired by the vendor's Great-Great-Grandfather, Sir Louis Dane, GCIE, CSI (1856-1946), who became Lieutenant Governor of The Punjab in 1908. Sir Louis presumably lived in Lahore at the Lieutenant-Governor's official residence, and it may of course have been at this time that he acquired this sculpture of Tara, given Lahore's relative proximity to the Himalayan region. Interestingly, Sir Louis is specifically mentioned by Younghusband in his book 'India and Tibet' in relation to a journey down the great Brahmaputra River which flows through the Himalayas.For similar iconography, also identified as Tara with a third eye, long hair, and with a scarf wrapped around both arms, compare Lot 1 from Bonhams New York/Indian, Himalayan & South East Asian Art/March 14th, 2016.Doubtless it was the extreme geography and spiritual mysticism that attracted Chinese intellectual thought to the topography and art of the Himalayan region. Whatever the case, it was as long ago as the 7th Century that the Chinese Ambassador, Wang Hsuan-tse, travelled southwards to arrive in Nepal.Chinese Imperial study of the devotion and sculpture of Tibetan Buddhism, likewise, enjoys a long history dating back to at least the Yuan era when Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province was defined as the terrestrial home of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. This connection prompted The Yongle Emperor to receive the Tibetan Monk, Shakya Yeshe (1354-1439) at Nanjing in 1415 creating a relationship that lasted into the Xuande reign when Shakya Yeshe resided on Mount Wutai for a number of years ('Ming, 50 Years that Changed China' Edited by Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall, refers in detail). For a gilded bronze figure of a kneeling Bodhisattva, attributed to the Xuande era, see Victoria and Albert Museum (275&A-1898).. Please note that there has been some deterioration to this sculpture, including: wear to the gilding; evidence of polishing that has resulted in patination and detail loss, or general fatigue.