Untitled

Unknown

early 12th century · Opaque watercolor on palm leaf · Asian Art

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 12th century

Medium

Opaque watercolor on palm leaf

Culture

India, West Bengal or Bangladesh

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001