A LARGE COPPER REPOUSSÉ FIGURE OF TARA, LATE 18TH CENTURY Inner Mongolia or China. Seated in dhyanasana atop a double lotus base with beaded upper edge, the hands held in vitarka mudra, clad in a flowing dhoti with hems neatly incised with a foliate pattern, and richly adorned with beaded jewelry inlaid with turquoises. The face is centered by a third eye at the forehead, and the hair is pulled into a tall chignon behind the foliate tiara.

Provenance: Old Belgian private collection. A Hungarian collector, acquired from the above.
Condition: Good condition with minor old wear, small nicks and dents, light scratches, minuscule losses. The base unsealed and covered with ancient fabric. Remnants of gilt.

Weight: 2,100 g
Dimensions: Height 38.5 cm

This elegant figure of Tara exhibits many characteristics common to Buddhist imagery from the Qianlong period (1736-1795), made in the lamaist workshops in and around Beijing. In the latter half of Qianlong's reign, when the construction of Buddhist temples and the associated Buddhist images reached its apogee, the use of repoussé, where thin metals are beaten rather than cast, became more prevalent in an effort to save materials and time. The artisans of the period quickly mastered the process, and details such as the ornately worked crown and flowers at the shoulders in the present figure demonstrate the mastery of the technique.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related gilt bronze figure of Tara, 39.4 cm high, also dated to the late 18^th century, at Christie’s New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 20 March 2019, lot 673, sold for USD 21,250. Compare the bodily proportions, the repoussé details, and the treatment of the lotus base of the present work with a Qianlong-period figure of a bodhisattva, 37.1 cm high, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 16 September 2016, lot 1231, sold for USD 35,000.

十八世紀末大型度母錘鍱銅像
內蒙古或中國。度母結跏趺坐坐於蓮上，頭戴寶冠，冠葉細小，冠葉間距大，佩飾鑲嵌綠松石。華麗優美。像修眉廣目，面型圓滿，儀容端莊秀麗，姿態典雅。左手拇指與無名指相捻結施依印，右手結與願印置於膝上。長裙衣紋自然流暢，裙擺垂蓋蓮座。

來源：比利時私人老收藏；匈牙利藏家，購於上述收藏。
品相：狀況良好，有輕微磨損、小劃痕和凹痕和細微缺損。底座未封閉，覆蓋著老織物。鎏金殘留。

重量：2,100 克
尺寸：高 38.5 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一對相近的十八世紀鎏金度母銅像，高4 厘米，見紐約佳士得Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art 2019年3月 20日 lot 673, 售價USD 21,250；比較一件局部锤揲的乾隆時期菩薩造像，高37.1 厘米， 見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2016年9月16日 lot 1231, 售價USD 35,000。