Tara Stone Eastern India, Pala Period

The Goddess seated at ease on a lotus throne, a blue lotus or nilotpala emanating from her left hand, her right displaying the varada mudra or gesture of charity.

James and Marilynn Alsfdorf Collection

A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art: from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, August 2-October 26, 1997

Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art: from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, 1997, p. 332, cat. no. 266

Surface chips and abrasions due to age throughout and obvious losses to stele apparent in catalogue illustration. Further losses to palm of right hand, end of nose and lips. Additional provenance; Sotheby's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, March 20, 2001, lot 27.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Four miniature images of the Goddess are arranged in a vertical register on the left side of the stele. The right side, now fragmentary, would have carried four additional images, indicating the iconography of Astamahabhaya Tara, or the Goddess who offers protection to travelers from the Eight Great Perils. The arch of the stele originally bore Images of the Five Transcendent Buddhas, of which only one is now visible on the upper left.

For a complete image of the same subject see Susan L. and John C. Huntington, Leaves from the Bodhi Tree, Seattle and London, 1990, fig. 48, p. 320.