Durga and Mahishasura thumbnail 1
Durga and Mahishasura thumbnail 2
Not on display

Durga and Mahishasura

Painting
ca. 1855 - ca. 1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Kolkata (made)

Painting, opaque watercolour and tin alloy on paper, depicting the goddess Durga killing Mahishasura, a demon in buffalo form.

Object details

Categories
Paintings
Hinduism
Religion
Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Object type
Painting
TitleDurga and Mahishasura (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on paper
Paper
Water-Colour
Paint
Painted
Brief description
Painting, Durga killing Mahishasura, opaque watercolour and tin alloy on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1855-60
Physical description
Painting, opaque watercolour and tin alloy on paper, depicting the goddess Durga killing Mahishasura, a demon in buffalo form.
Dimensions
  • Height: 433mm (maximum)
  • Width: 275mm (maximum)
  • Card onto which object mounted height: 457mm
  • Card onto which object mounted width: 300mm
15/05/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013; object irregular in shape.
Content description
The goddess Durga killing Mahishasura, a demon in buffalo form.
Style
Kalighat
Credit line
Given by Rudyard Kipling Esq., Bateman's, Burwash, Sussex
Object history
Part of an album, containing 196 prints, paintings and pen and pencil drawings together with 37 loose pages of paintings, calligraphic drawings, and outline pen drawings. The collection is mainly composed of native lithograph pictures sold at the local bazaars and fairs of Upper India and Bengal. The album was collected by late J Lockwood Kipling between the years 1865 and 1893. In 1875 he became Principal of the Mayo School of Art, Lahore and held this post until his retirement in 1893. The album was presented to the Museum by his son, Rudyard Kipling in 1917.

Given by Rudyard Kipling Esq., Bateman's, Burwash, Sussex. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1917-2627M, R.P. 1917-2705M
Subjects depicted
Hinduism
Durga
Mahishasura
Lion
Bibliographic references
  • Kalighat paintings : a catalogue and introduction / by W.G. Archer. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1971 Number: 0112900291 : Pl. no. 10, cat. no. 5, ix: p. 51.
  • Sinha, Suhashini, and Panda, C, eds. Kalighat Paintings from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2012. ISBN 1851776656. p. 49 Fig.5.1
  • Sinha, Suhashini, and Panda, C, eds. Kalighat Paintings from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2012. ISBN 1851776656. p. 49 Fig.5.1
  • Bryant, Julius and Weber, Susan, John Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London Newhaven: Yale University Press, 2017 p. 314, fig. 11.12
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IM.2:79-1917

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Record createdDecember 17, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O72128/durga-and-mahishasura-painting-unknown/
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