A STONE FIGURE OF TARA


TIBET, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no.61748 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.) high
|This finely carved figure of Tara belongs to a rare group of stone sculptures commonly described as representing the "Pala School in Tibet", created during the 11th to 12th centuries. The remains of cold gold and pigments suggest that it has been worshiped in Tibet. Meanwhile, Tara's sensuous body, curvy posture, tall hair bun and flying ribbons are modeled in the Pala style of Northeastern India. While her face appears more Tibetan than Indian, the refined overall quality seems to indicate Indian craftsmanship.   Von Schroeder has suggested such sculptures were made by an Indian artist who worked in Tibet for local patrons, in a primarily Indian style adapted to Tibetan tastes. He writes, "The Tibetans themselves were not particularly famous for the quality of their rock- and stone-carvings during the first propagation of Buddhism during the Tibetan imperial period (c.600-842). It is reasonable to assume that by the late 10th century, when the second propagation gained momentum, there existed little local expertise in the stone-carving medium." (von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, pp.372-3). Compare the modeling of the deity's body and jewelry details to a Green Tara stele from the same period (ibid., pp.380-1, no.121E).   Provenance John Stewart, Hong Kong, August 2015 Private European Collection 石雕度母像 西藏，約十二世紀 喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61748號 高11.4釐米（4 1/2英吋）  500,000-700,000港元 這尊精美的度母像屬於創作於公元十一到十二世紀的被稱為"西藏帕拉風格"的一類稀有石像。作品表面殘留的冷金和顏料表明其曾被供奉於西藏地區。與此同時，度母豐滿嫋娜的身型，高聳的髮髻和飄浮的衣飾，體現了東北印度的帕拉風格，加之其上乘的藝術性和雕工，此作品很可能出自印度匠師之手。 施羅德先生認為此類作品是由當時活躍在西藏地區的印度匠師所作，因此既體現了印度的風格，又吸收和兼容了西藏式的美學。他曾寫到，"在西藏封建時期（約600-842年）的前弘期，當地的石雕藝術水平尚且粗拙。由此推斷，到十世紀晚期，也就是後弘期時，西藏本地的石雕水平也不會顯著提高。"（施羅德，《西藏佛教造像》，香港，2001年，頁372-3）。對比一尊同時期綠度母像對身型和珠寶細節的處理（同上，頁380-1，編號.121E）。 來源 John Stewart，香港，2015年8月歐洲私人收藏