Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 14 May 2019
A gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara, Mongolia, 18th century
Lot 262. A gilt-bronze figure of Green Tara, Mongolia, 18th century; 9 7/8 in. (25 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000. Price realised GBP 37,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The figure is elegantly cast seated in lalitasana on a lotus base, with her outstretched right leg on a lotus. Her face is modelled with downcast eyes and her hair is fashioned in a high chignon behind a small figure of Amitabha. Her right hand rests on her knee invaradamudra and her left is raised in vitarkamudra. The deity wears elaborate jewellery inlaid with turquoise and a voluminous dhoti.
Provenance: Acquired on 12 March 1998 in Hong Kong.
Literature: Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 23400.
Note: Aesthetic aspects such as the type of base, the tall chignon, and the heavily draped robes are characteristic of the figures created in or around Dolonnor in Inner Mongolia which was a thriving Buddhist centre during the Qing dynasty. Not only did the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong Emperors patronise Dolonnor for its Buddhist scholarship and artistic production, the city also served as a site of cultural exchange between the Qing Manchus and the Mongols.