Green Tara statue in lalitasana – Nepal, 19th century

Green Tara statue, female bodhisattva, known as Syama Tara in Sanskrit and Drolma Jangku in Tibetan. Copper alloy, Nepal, 19th century.

• H 41 cm x W 28 cm x D 20 cm
• 5,490 g.
• Provenance: Former Claude de Marteau collection

This statue depicts Green Tara, one of the most venerated deities in Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana. Made in copper alloy in the Newar artistic tradition of the Kathmandu Valley, it reflects the refinement of Nepalese workshops, which played a major role in the spread of Buddhist art throughout the Himalayas.

The goddess is shown in lalitāsana, or the “royal ease posture”. Seated with one leg folded while the other remains ready to extend, she embodies an immediate readiness to come to the aid of beings. This attitude is one of the most characteristic attributes of Green Tara, whose role is to intervene swiftly to remove obstacles and dangers.

Traces of an earlier gilding remain visible on the face, while the gradual wear of the patina reveals, in places, the warm tones of the copper alloy. On the edge of the base, a notch was intended to receive the support on which the right foot rests, now missing.

A refined depiction of Green Tara

The right hand forms the vitarka mudrā, a gesture associated with teaching and the transmission of doctrine, while the left hand holds the stem of a lotus that blooms near the shoulder. These flowers, a symbol of spiritual purity, evoke the ability of awakening to arise within the conditioned world itself.

The richness of the adornment also contributes to the elegance of the composition. Tara wears a five-flowered crown, traditionally interpreted as a reference to the Five Transcendent Buddhas of esoteric Buddhism. The recesses of several florets retain traces of dried binder, likely indicating the former presence of decorative cabochons now missing. The openwork earrings, armlets, necklaces and chest ornaments reflect the decorative vocabulary characteristic of 19th-century Nepalese bronzes.

Through its iconography, the quality of its casting and the balance of its proportions, this sculpture is a fine example of Himalayan art produced in the Kathmandu Valley. It illustrates the continuity of iconographic models from Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana, of which Nepal remains one of the principal historic centres.