Female Buddhist Deity Tara

$505
Item Code: XP93
Specifications:
Copper Sculpture Gilded with 24 Karat Gold
Height: 13 inch
Width: 9.5 inch
Depth: 6.5 inch
Weight: 3.24 kg
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
This exceptionally beautiful copper sculptures, cast using the lost wax method, in the city of Patan (Kathmandu, Nepal), gilded with 24 karat gold, revealing divine lustre and magnificence, represents the principal female Buddhist deity Tara with interknitted forefingers and thumbs holding in them the sacred threads with which she drags those who are caught in the tumultuous seas out of it for, as her name means, she is the goddess who helps wade across the impassable sea, symbolically also the sea of life. The image, rare in its aesthetic beauty, elegance, finish, sculptural quality and divine aura, has been rendered pursuing Tibetan-Nepalese idiom of iconography and metal casting. Tara has several manifestations, some being multi-armed, ferocious and as engaged in annihilation; this normal two-armed image of the goddess represents her, however, in her most benign, compassionate and sublime form revealing rare aesthetic beauty. The goddess has been cast as sprawling on a podium with lotus rising and a detached foot-raise also styled as a lotus. Such mode of seating is known in the tradition as ‘utkut akasana’.

A tenderly conceived figure with timeless youth, the goddess has been conceived with divine lustre and great quiescence on her face. Her figure has been adorned with brilliant jewels : beautiful ‘kundalas’ on her ears, variously designed neck and breast ornaments, belly-band and an elaborate crown with repeats of ‘tri-ratna’ motifs symbolic of three Buddhist cardinals : Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Her beautifully pleated ‘antariya’ – lower wear, spread over her legs and down on the seat, and her elegantly designed sash lying on her shoulders, arms and unfurling on either side are exceptionally beautiful. An angular face bowed a little with a broad forehead and pointed chin, hair with curling contours not fully cover by her crown and knotted coiffure in its centre, sharp straight nose aligning with elegantly moulded eyebrows, small cute lips, three-fourth closed lotus eyes, a well defined neck, broad shoulders, a tall figure with tall arms, fine long fingers and tender feet, all reveal her sublime beauty and absolute womanhood.

The supreme female deity in the Buddhist line, more impressive and effective, Tara is often equated with Buddha in her compassionate nature and the power to redeem. Buddhist texts contend Tara to be the utmost powerful divinity, so much so that her ‘smile made the sun to shine’ and her frown, ‘darkness to envelop the terrestrial sphere’. As the perfection of wisdom and embodiment of the highest metaphysical principle Tara is Prajnaparmita and is considered as having priority over Buddha. She is revered as the light and the prime source of Buddhahood. In Mahayana Buddhism Tara’s significance is far greater. She is venerated as the mother of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Similar to Brahmanical line where all deity-forms look like the forms of Devi, the primordial female power, all female deities in Buddhist line look like different forms of Tara that the Buddhist texts designate as the ‘Tara’s Bhedas’ – forms of Tara. Though more popular in Tibetan worship-cult, Tara is the universal deity of Buddhism. Texts perceive her as the most benevolent, compassionate, gentle, protective and playful deity full of youth and vigour.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.
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At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.
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The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.
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The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.
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