A terracotta plaque of a goddess from a Buddhist shrine
Swat Valley or Kashmir, 8th/ 9th Centurycarved in relief on a rounded plaque, depicted in tribhanga pose, with drapery to each side of her body, wearing a long necklace and low crown, her right hand holding a lotus
11 cm. high注脚Provenance
Elizabeth and Willard Clark Collection, California

Himalayan Art Resources item no.61802

Her halo confers this figure's deified status and, given the lotus in her hand, possibly represents a very early depiction of the Bodhisattva Tara. The artist moulds her in the tribhanga pose with sinuous legs and broad hips, evoking ancient Indian physiognomic ideals. Her compressed face, low crown, and recessed chignon are consistent with the Kashmiri tradition, resembling a bodhisattva published in Pal, Ancient Kashmir, New Delhi, 1991, p. 84, no. 10. Also compare with the Bodhisattvas attending Buddha in a bronze shrine from Kashmir in the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR#65763). The figures hold similar postures and flank a comparable treatment of flames to this plaque's edge.