Green Tara or Arya Tara, the goddess of mercy and compassion, is shown here standing gracefully in tribhanga or 'triple-bend' posture upon the silver moon disc of her pink lotus pedestal. She is emerald green in color, with a sweetly smiling face, two gentle bow-shaped eyes, delicate hands and feet, and a narrow waist. A golden dot or tilaka adorns her forehead and the strands of her long black hair are twisted into braids, with half of the braids bound into a large topknot on the crown of her head, and the other half hanging freely about her shoulders.
A flowing yellow silk sash is draped around her left shoulder and waist, and a long orange-red silk scarf twists around her upper body and falls at her sides before billowing upwards in gracefully looping curves. Her belt, bracelets, armlets, anklets, ornate necklaces and earrings are all studded with glistening red and blue jewels, white pearls, and some are adorned with white jasmine petals. The headband of her crown is delicately strung with loops of shining gemstones and pearls, and has a fresh white lotus at its center. The five radiant and ornately encased jewels that adorn her golden crown are tipped with jasmine flowers, and the crown is fastened behind her topknot by the yellow silk ribbon that billows behind her earrings.
With her right hand Tara holds the thick stem of a lotus that blossoms in front of her elbow amidst a profusion of leaves and buds. And with her left hand she grasps the thick stem of another climbing lotus that similarly blossoms in a profusion of leaves and colorful buds. Her radiant blue and gold inner aura shimmers behind her body, while her outer aura is composed of golden scrolls that enclose radiant jewels. More leaves, blossoms and buds appear behind her upper aura and halo, with colorful clouds drifting across the dark upper sky and above the snow mountain on the lower right.
This beautiful composition was originally drawn and painted by the great Newar artist, Uday Charan Shrestha in 2010, with the base colors having been applied by his student Madan Kiju.
© text by Robert Beer
Quality
PEM Custom Prints offers exclusive custom reproductions of artworks in the collections of the Peabody Essex Museum. Hand-made in the USA using gallery-quality materials, we create prints as true to the original work as possible, using strict color management protocols and state-of-the-art printing technology.Selection
Many of the works offered through this store are exclusive and not available anywhere else. We are continually adding new artworks to our offering, so be sure to check back regularly as you build your own gallery. A variety of molding styles means our custom framed prints can match any type of decor.