Durga, the supreme goddess, is armed with the magical weapons lent to her by the assembly of male gods to do battle with the buffalo demon Mahisha. Here, she is seen transfixing him with Shiva’s trident (trisula). The sculptor’s ability to evoke the energy and vitality of the enraged goddess as she wields her weapons in a frenzy of destruction ranks this work among the finest versions of the subject.
Details
- Title : The Goddess Durga Slaying Mahisha
- Year : 14th century
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Copper alloy
- Dimension : H. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); W. 12 3/16 in. (31 cm); D. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm)
- Accession No : 2012.444.1
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Credit Line : Zimmerman Family Collection, Gift of the Zimmerman Family, 2012
- Acquisition Method : Gift
- Status : On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 252
- Provenance : Zimmerman Family Collection , New York (until 2012; donated to MMA)
- Exhibition History : New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Tibetan and Nepalese Art: Recent Acquisitions," September 17, 2013–February 2, 2014.