Green Tara Dispensing Boons to Ecstatic Devotees: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom)
Tara, a bodhisattva of compassion and protection, is shown dispensing boons to the surrounding devotees, as indicated by her lower hand held in varada mudra. From the tips of her fingers she drips nectar into the mouth of the hungry ghost (preta) who sits below, his belly swollen because of starvation. Unlike the male bodhisattvas in palm-leaf illuminations, she is presented in a dynamic twisting posture that emphasizes the volumes of her body and shows clear connections with the larger pan-Indian goddess traditions.
Artwork Details
- Title: Green Tara Dispensing Boons to Ecstatic Devotees: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom)
- Artist: Mahavihara Master
- Period: Pala period
- Date: early 12th century
- Culture: India, West Bengal or Bangladesh
- Medium: Opaque watercolor on palm leaf
- Dimensions: Page: 2 3/4 x 16 7/16 in. (7 x 41.8 cm)
Image: 2 1/2 x 1 15/16 in. (6.4 x 4.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
- Object Number: 2001.445i
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
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