27 - EARLY STANDING BRONZE TARA WITH SILVER EYES BRONZE TIBET 12TH CENTURY

EARLY STANDING BRONZE TARA WITH SILVER EYES BRONZE TIBET 12TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 14,6 cm Wide 4,5 cm Depth 3,5 cm Weight: 318 grams An elegant standing female deity in gilt bronze, poised on a double-lotus base with the weight carried evenly through her long, slender figure. One hand extends downward in a gracious gesture, while the other is raised beside a tall flowering stem. Her close-fitting lower garment is articulated with pendant panels, and the body is enriched by necklaces, armlets, earrings and a high coiffure. Remnants of gilding gleam against the copper-brown surface, with contrasting details around the eyes and features. The delicate casting is especially evident in the jewellery and the flower rising beside her shoulder. The standing figure of Tara embodies the great Himalayan tradition of compassionate female Buddhist divinity. Tara is revered as an active protector who responds swiftly to suffering and danger; the lotus associated with her evokes purity arising from the world without being stained by it. The graceful upright pose gives this small devotional bronze a sense of immediacy and benevolent presence.