GODDESS TARA
Nepal, 12th century
Copper alloy with gilt, pigment, and semi-precious stones
7 1/2 x 3 9/16 x 1 9/16 in.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Gift of Doris and Ed Wiener
M. 72.108.8
This figure of the goddess
Green
Tara exudes an overall feeling of balance and poise. Her dark coppery
glow seems to come from deep within. An intensely feminine figure, the
bodhisattva's
allure emanates from her strong, sinuous lines, which delight both the
casual observer and the devotee who would use the figure for ritual purposes.
Her feet, with their defined toes, are firmly planted on a simple disc
of copper that was once embedded in a more elaborate base of lotus flowers
(personal communication, Matilsky, March 2001). Her legs rise gracefully
to join seamlessly her solid, full hips, which are gently thrust to her
right in a relaxed, yet seductive, stance. The central rope-like line of
her skirt adds to the bold verticality of her legs, following their curve,
and gives way to a delicate transparency over her thighs. This lightly
delineated skirt softly breaks the vertical dominance of the sculpture
with a design of horizontal arcs and circles that continues down her legs
and joins with a thick gathered material at the rear of the figure.
Immediately drawing
attention and serving to divide the upper and lower portions of the goddess’
body is a wide belt from which her skirt hangs. It is ornamented with a
large turquoise embedded in a circular cavity that studs the vertical axis
of her body, directly below her belly button. The smooth edges of the belt
enclose a pattern of crossing zigzag lines.
The goddess’ deep navel gives way to an abrupt waist, which quickly
expands on its ascent to accommodate the symmetrical concentric circles
of her high breasts and nipples. A heavy, stippled necklace, typical
of sculpting in the Kathmandu
valley during the Transitional Period,
loops between her breasts to culminate in a turquoise that matches the
larger one on her belt. The scarf that covers her chest is as gauzy as
the material on her legs, giving an impression of bareness to her upper
body.
Even with its patterns
and jewelry, the goddess’ body looks smooth compared to the intricate detail
of her tiara and of the scarf slung over her left shoulder. Her nose and
brow, which are the most prominent parts of her slightly down-turned head,
catch the light and shine with the deep luminous glow that characterizes
her entire figure.
Her heavy tiara is
ornamented with a central turquoise rather than the small figure of the
celestial Buddha Amitabha that often adorns Tara’s headdress (Getty, 37).
Rosettes behind each ear have sockets for garnets, although the left one
is missing.
The goddess’ solid
arms and heavy accessories give her an appearance of strength. The sweeping
downward movement of her right arm is broken by a thick armband around
her upper arm and a bracelet at her wrist, both of which contain garnets.
The arm culminates in the open-handed varada mudra
of generosity. Her left arm is bent at an acute angle at the elbow and
her left hand faces forward, the thumb and third finger bent inward to
touch in front of the palm in the left-handed vitarka
mudra gesture of argumentation.
A dramatic utpala,
or closed lotus flower, curls gracefully over her left shoulder and is
balanced by the downward sweep of her scarf. The flowing metal of the scarf
complements the motion of her right arm.
Daniella Case
Previously published in Pal, 1985.