Artwork Details

Title
Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears
Dimensions
27 1/8 × 22 1/2 in. (estimated)
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Eastern Tibet
Classification(s)
paintings
Date
19th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
Object number
F1997.17.7
Currently On View
at Frank Museum of Art, traveling exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art, until December 12, 2024
HAR Number
323
Published references
  • Glenn H. Mullin and Jeff Watt, Female Buddhas: Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art (Clear Light Publishers, 2003), 80-81.
  • Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion (Tibet House, 1999), 92-93, 205-206, fig. 10.

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Liberation

Concepts

The central goal of Buddhism is the liberation of all beings from suffering and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, known as samsara, through applying the teachings of the Buddha.

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Fear

Concepts

One of the main sources of suffering in the endless cycle of death and rebirth known as samsara. Buddhists regard offering protection from fear as an act of compassion or form of giving.

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Gender

Concepts

In Buddhism gender is considered more fluid compared to some other religions. Certain traditions emphasize the importance of all genders in achieving enlightenment. The feminine is considered an embodiment of wisdom and the masculine is an embodiment of method.

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Female Deities

Figure Type

Female bodhisattvas and tantric deities embody specific enlightened qualities such as wisdom, power, and protection, and can be peaceful or wrathful in appearance.

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Tibetan Regions

Region

Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.

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