c. 8th century
Devi (Goddess) Gauri Or Tara
Artist/maker unknownImage 1 of 21 / 2
The oldest example of Nepalese art in the Museum’s collection, this sculpture was given to the Museum’s former curator Dr. Stella Kramrisch by His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva of Nepal in the early 1960s. The extraordinary delicacy of its carving is evident in the finely woven drapery that crosses the figure’s chest and overlaps her beaded belt at the right hip. The position of her feet—firmly planted together—indicates that she is a goddess rather than an attendant. The loss of the head and one hand make it impossible to determine her exact identity, but she is probably a form of either the Hindu goddess Gauri (the golden one, the wife of Shiva) or the Buddhist protector-goddess Tara.
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