A Scientific Study of the Bronze Tara image from Sri Lanka at the British Museum for evaluating its provenance

This paper discusses the recent controversy on the provenance of the Life Size Tara image found in Sri Lanka and now deposited at the British Museum. The Tara image was first studied using stable lead isotopic methods during a study on South Indian bronze images by an Indian scholar. By comparing Stable Lead Isotopic Ratio Values and trace elemental values of South Indian images with the Tara image, the present idea of the possible South Indian origin of this Tara image has emerged. Unfortunately, by that time, no Sri Lankan historical bronze images had been studied with Stable Lead isotopes or Trace elements for any comparison of the Tara image with other contemporary Sri Lankan bronze images. This study uses later obtained Stable Lead Isotope and Trace element values of Sri Lankan historical bronze images by the author to address the controversy on the provenance of the Tara image found in Sri Lanka and now deposited at the British Museum by critically evaluating the Tara image that to the Stable Lead Isotope and Trace elemental trends of Sri Lankan bronze images. This study shows that the Tara image closely matches four Sri Lankan images as a group, and the source of lead that had been used to make the Tara image is also known in the country. This paper also suggests that the Tara image may have belonged to the MLG2 School of image production that existed during the latter part of the Anuradhapura period in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, this study argues that the Tara image is incorporated more into the Sri Lankan context through Stable Lead Isotope values, and matched with the four Sri Lankan images closely, rather than to the South Indian Context.