A fine gilt-bronze figure of a seated Green Tara Mark and Period of Yongle

finely cast seated in lalitasana, with hands held in varada and vitarkamudra, the broad face with downcast eyes and benevolent expression, a five-tiered crown enclosing the high chignon, with ornate wheel-shaped earrings, the elegant figure wearing a clinging dhoti and elaborate jeweled waist band and necklace, the scarf-draped arms entwined with long multi-stemmed lotus flanking the shoulders, the pendent right foot resting on an individual lotus issuing from the double-lotus pedestal, inscribed Da Ming Yongle nian zhi, the base engraved with a visvavajra

The overall condition is very good with only minor wear to the gilding on the right forearm, left leg and face. The base plate appears to be original but was opened and resealed, now slightly bulging, so the bottom is not completely flat.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present sculpture is an exquisite example of gilt bronzes made in the imperial workshops of the Yongle emperor, which represent the apogee of Chinese Buddhist metal sculpture in the Ming dynasty. Her skilfully rendered hands, held in gentle and expressive gestures of charity and reassurance, and her delicate features and form, which display a style influenced by the art of Tibet, befits the sensuous and youthful female form of the goddess.

In the preceding Yuan dynasty, the authority of Mongol rulers had become closely associated with Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaist rituals. Missions to Tibet were carried out during the early Ming dynasty which sought to maintain good relations with the Tibetan lamas, and images such as this piece were exchanged as gifts.

Tara is worshipped by Buddhists as a saviour and liberator from samsara, the earthly realm of birth and rebirth, and is thus revered as the goddess of compassion. The story of her origin recounts that she generously gave offerings and prayers to buddhas, bodhisattvas, ordained monks and nuns because of her compassion and spirituality. Her powers are associated with overcoming fears, protecting from evil and rescuing from all suffering.

As in Tibet, the cult of Tara was clearly popular at the Yongle court. David Weldon notes that at least nine gilt bronze Taras of the period remain: the present extremely fine example, another formerly in the Usher P. Coolidge Collection, one in the Institute of Chicago, one in the Chang Foundation, two in the Berti Aschmann Foundation at the Reitberg Museum, two in Tibetan monastery collections, and another from the collection of Jules Speelman, sold in these rooms, 7^th October 2006, lot 806 (see Visions of Enlightenment. The Speelman Collection of Important Early Ming Buddhist Bronzes, Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 54). As a testimony to the variety and originality found in Yongle sculpture, these nine Taras are all markedly different from one another while remaining faithful to common stylistic requirements of the Yongle ateliers. Some are willowy and aristocratic in appearance like the present example, the larger of the two in the Aschmann Collection is more austere, while the Tara formerly in the Coolidge collection has a charmingly rounded figure. All however, are finished and gilded to perfection, draped with the hallmark Yongle jewellery and seated on finely-formed lotus petals.