The imperial art school founded by Zanabazar (1635-1723), religious leader, artist, and master craftsman, produced some of the finest bronzes in the history of Mongolian art. Characterized by richly gilt surfaces overall, finely modeled and smoothly sloping contours with embellishments limited to borders, full figures standing or seated on an elevated double-lotus base, the un-gilt base sealed with a gilt double-vajra, and a minimalist aesthetic that endows the figures with a sense of stability, Zanabazar bronze sculptures exhibit a cohesive style testament to the vision of the great leader. Subjects span the full Buddhist pantheon, well-represented here by a seated figure of Tara, the graceful mother to all (lot 331), a cosmic manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of Compassion (lot 332), and a figure of a Lama bearing wisdom in the form of a palm leaf manuscript (lot 333).

A gilt bronze figure of White Tara

MONGOLIA, ZANABAZAR STYLE, 17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

A gilt bronze figure of White Tara
Mongolia, Zanabazar style, 17th/18th century
Seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base, her right hand extended in varadamudra and her left in vitarkamudra and holding the stem of a lotus blossoming at the shoulder, the palms and soles incised and painted with eyes, clad in diaphanous robes with patterned hems and adorned with beaded jewelry, the face with benevolent expression centered by the third eye and surmounted by a lotus-bed tiara, the hair in a tall chignon supporting a diminutive Amitabha image and with locks cascading down her back, the base sealed and incised with a gilt double-vajra
9¾ in. (24.7 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Hong Kong, late 1980s
Rossi and Rossi, London, 2003
Collection of Sandor P. Fuss, Colorado, 2010-11

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Lot Essay

The open eyes on the palms, sole of feet, and center of the forehead show the goddess's active awareness and compassionate engagement with the entirety of the universe; Tara sees and alleviates the suffering of all sentient beings.

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