Artwork Page for Green Tara

Details / Information for Green Tara

Green Tara

c. 1260s; mounted, 2020

attributed to Aniko

(Nepalese, active in Tibet mid- to late 1200s)
Culture
Central Tibet
Medium
thangka; gum tempera, ink, and gold on sized cotton; mount: silk
Measurements
Painting: 52.4 x 43.2 cm (20 5/8 x 17 in.); Overall: 107 x 65 cm (42 1/8 x 25 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund by exchange 1970.156
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
237 Himalayan
Print
?

Did You Know?

The tiny monastic figure under Green Tara's right hand commissioned the painting.

Description

For Tibetans, Green Tara is one of the preeminent figures of their Buddhist faith, a radiant savioress who embodies the female form of the perfect, enlightened mind. The Green Tara in the Cleveland thangka—a Tibetan devotional painting on cloth—specifically dispels fear and provides protection, just like her mantra inscribed on the back side of the painting. Her green color and fear-not gesture link her to the cosmic Buddha of the North, enshrined above her head. Most scholars agree that this work was painted by the celebrated Nepalese artist known as Aniko.
A colorful large, vertically long cotton cloth depicts a female deity with green skin sitting on a lotus throne under an arch, surrounded by animals and trees. She is wearing jewelry and has curly black hair. Her right hand is down while her left hand is up, the tip of her fourth finger touching the tip of her thumb.

Green Tara

c. 1260s; mounted, 2020

Aniko

(Nepalese, active in Tibet mid- to late 1200s)
Central Tibet

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