Durga Mahishamardini thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Durga Mahishamardini

Woodcut Print
late 19th century - early 20th century (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A woodcut print with a black border printed with a diamond and floral repeating design in white. The central character is the four armed Goddess Durga as Mahishamardini, sitting astride her lion and spearing the demon Mahishasura who has hidden inside a buffalo. The buffalo's head has been cut off already and lies near the lion's feet. Each of Durga's hands holds a sacred weapon. To the extreme left and right of the scene in the background are two trees, the one on the left bearing an inscription on the trunk. Another inscription encicles the shield of Mahishasura. The ground below and to the right is covered in stylised leaf motifs, with depictions of two serpents and another four legged forest animal on the right. There are washes of red and yellow pigment.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleDurga Mahishamardini (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Woodcut print on paper
Brief description
The goddess Durga armed and riding on a lion, slaying the demon Mahishasura who has transformed into a buffalo.
Physical description
A woodcut print with a black border printed with a diamond and floral repeating design in white. The central character is the four armed Goddess Durga as Mahishamardini, sitting astride her lion and spearing the demon Mahishasura who has hidden inside a buffalo. The buffalo's head has been cut off already and lies near the lion's feet. Each of Durga's hands holds a sacred weapon. To the extreme left and right of the scene in the background are two trees, the one on the left bearing an inscription on the trunk. Another inscription encicles the shield of Mahishasura. The ground below and to the right is covered in stylised leaf motifs, with depictions of two serpents and another four legged forest animal on the right. There are washes of red and yellow pigment.
Dimensions
  • Height: 28.7cm
  • Width: 39.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
1: 'Ma-shashurer shesh' 2: 'Sri Madhab Chandra Dasher Khudita' (Both inscriptions are in Bengali - the phonetic transcription is given above. The central part of Mahishasura's name has been omitted, possibly due to lack of space on the shield, or through a colloquial abbreviation of the name.)
Translation
1: The end of Mahishasura 2: Cut by Sri Madhab Chandra Das
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
E.5515-1904

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Record createdSeptember 1, 2008
Record URL
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