AUTEL EN ALLIAGE DE CUIVRE DORÉ DÉDIÉ À TARA VERTE
NORD-EST DE L'INDE, KURHIKAR, ÉPOQUE PALA, XIE SIÈCLE
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1826
13 cm (5 1/8 in.) high
Footnotes:
A GILT COPPER ALLOY SHRINE TO GREEN TARA 
NORTHEASTERN INDIA, KURHIKAR, PALA PERIOD, 11TH CENTURY 

The Mahayanist goddess, Tara, provides a primary source of refuge for Buddhists. Depicted here in the aspect of Syamatara, or Green Tara, which emphasizes her ability to save devotees from a variety of perils, she rests gracefully on her sovereign seat. Finely rendered, the miniature shrine is testament to the delicacy and intimacy of Buddhist bronzes produced during the Pala period of Northeastern India (8th-12th century), most of which have not survived to such a degree with their opulent gilding. Tara sits enthroned with her legs crossed and her gently curving hips swaying to one side. From this unencumbered pose, she offers her outstretched right hand in the 'gesture of charity', an emblematic mudra expressing her compassionate virtues. A blue lily (utpala) flowers by her left shoulder.

The Pala period was a golden age in Buddhist art history, catalyzing pivotal aesthetic transformations that would become archetypal throughout many parts of Asia. Characteristic of cast-metal Pala images, this sculpture's diminutive size exemplifies the distinct portability of these bronzes—a trait which would enable their dissemination from the Indian subcontinent to Nepal, Tibet, Southeast Asia, and China. Several examples, including two standing Taras enshrined with the same basic iconography, including a rectangular stepped pedestal, a wide-petaled circular base, and a prabha surrounded by a flame border; finally, all are surmounted by a royal umbrella (chatra) decorated with fluttering celestial scarves (Ray, Eastern Indian Bronzes, 1986, figs. 150 & 171).  

The present lot and the two standing images display idioms of the Kurkihar style, referring to an influential metal-casting atelier that serviced a nexus of Buddhist monasteries and pilgrimage sites within the state of Bihar, such as Nalanda and Bodhgaya. Formative examples include a seated Avalokiteshvara, sharing a similarly fleshy physiognomy and rounded face with wide features (ibid., fig. 267). A standing Vajrapani represents a very close stylistic parallel, having analogous designs of the flamed tips, folds within the billowing sashes, incised ornamentation along the lower part of the base, and fullness to the bodhisattva's face and physique (Zhang (ed.), Dependent Arising: Himalayan Art, 2017, p. 192, no. 65). Their similarities, showcasing the skilled syncretization of supple form and precise ornamentation, exemplify the sophistication and refined artisanry for which this region and period are renowned.

銅鎏金綠度母像
印度東北部 庫基哈爾 帕拉時期 十一世紀

大乘佛教中，度母給予世人最主要的庇佑。此尊造像呈現其綠度母之形象，尤為彰顯度母救度信眾於種種災禍的能力。度母安然而優美地坐於寶座之上，其造型小巧與細節精緻，證實著帕拉時期（八至十二世紀）東北印度之佛教藝術之精緻水準與親近喜人之感。而此類造像大多未能以這樣金水完好之品相傳世。度母雙腿交疊，腰肢輕輕微向一側，坐姿從容自得，右手伸出，結與願印，意為慷慨施予，表現其慈愛與悲憫。

帕拉王朝為佛教藝術史上的一段黃金時代，其催生出諸多美學的核心演變，成為亞洲多地進行藝術創作之範本。此度母像為典型之帕拉時代所鑄銅像，其體量小巧、便於攜帶，正為帕拉銅像標誌性的特徵——令其得以經印度次大陸傳至尼泊爾、西藏、東南亞以及中原地區。相似之例中，參考兩尊度母立像（見Ray，《Eastern Indian Bronzes》，1986年，圖150及171），其基本圖式相同，包括矩形層級寶座、寬瓣圓形蓮座、火焰環繞之背光，以及飾有飄揚長巾之華蓋。

上述兩尊度母立像與本拍品一致，皆展示出庫基哈爾風格之特徵，即曾經為比哈爾邦內諸如那爛陀、菩提迦耶等錯綜連接之寺廟群及朝聖者聚居地所造像之工坊，影響深遠。與其同時期之重要作品則可參考一尊觀音坐像（同上，圖267），具有相似之飽滿面容，臉龐圓潤，五官突出。論及與此度母像風格之一致，如相似的火焰尖形、翻湧的長巾的堆疊、底座下緣所刻的裝飾性花紋，以及神祇身形與臉型的圓潤，皆可見於一尊金剛手菩薩立像，著錄於《緣起——喜馬拉雅藝術》，2017年，頁192，編號65。各例之相似性，展現出柔美人像與精準裝飾之巧妙結合，佐證著這一地域、這一時期之藝術創作所以聞名於後世之細膩與優美。
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Very good condition overall, with losses to the semi-precious inset stones located at the mandorla. Minor loss of gilding to a few raised areas. Also minor nicks and dents to the raised edges of the stepped base, as is visible in images. Traces of unguents in recessed areas at the interior of the base, consistent with the object's ritual worship within the culture. Remains of gold pigment in the face and blue pigment in the hair. There are visual indications of consecration materials located at the interior of the base. The piece survives with its originally gilded and separately cast mandorla.
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