Green Tara

c. 1260s

Maker Unknown

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Green Tara, c. 1260s. Central Tibet. Thangka; gum tempera, ink, and gold on sized cotton; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund by exchange 1970.156 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. The tiny monastic figure under Green Tara's right hand commissioned the painting.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Maker Unknown
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: thangka; gum tempera, ink, and gold on sized cotton
Medium: thangka, gum, tempera, ink, gold, sized, cotton
Dimensions: 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.)
Inscribed: Translation: Tolerance is the most excellent asceticism; the Buddha said that "Tolerance is the best liberation." Novices who harm others and cause others pain are not [true] practitioners. Remark: Lower four lines of the inscription on the verso translated from the Tibetan by Dr. Paul Nietupski Inscription: Om Ah Hum Remark: Behind brow, throat, and heart of Green Tara Inscription: om tare tutare ture svaha Remark: Mantra of Green Tara Inscription: Om Ah Hum Remark: Behind the Buddha Amoghasidhi, in smaller letters Inscription: Om Ah Hum Remark: Behind the figure of the monastic donor Inscription: om ah sarva vyida svaha Remark: Sanskrit mantra, top line of the inscriptions on the verso Inscription: ye dharmā hetuprabhavā he- tuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hy avadat teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃvādī mahāśramaṇaḥ Translation: Of those phenomena which arise from causes: Those causes have been taught by the Tathāgata (Buddha), And their cessation too - thus proclaims the Great Ascetic.
Departments: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Accession Number: 1970.156
Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund by exchange
Exhibitions: Year in Review: 1970, Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum, Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet, Streams and Mountains Without End: Asian Art and the Legacy of Sherman E. Lee at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Stories From Storage, <em>Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 239)</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 18, 2013-June 30, 2014)., <em>Main Gallery Rotation (Gallery 237)</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (April 4-November 7, 2016).
Rights Statement: CC0