A buff sandstone figure of Mahishasura
PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
A buff sandstone figure of Mahishasura

INDIA, RAJASTHAN OR UTTAR PRADESH, 12TH CENTURY

細節
A buff sandstone figure of Mahishasura
India, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh, 12th century
Deeply carved with the goddess Durga holding various weapons in her twenty-four arms, standing on a plinth with one foot atop the buffalo from who's severed neck the demon is emerging, her lion mount biting his hindquarters, asura warriors on both sides and jackals below, her divinity reinforced by lotus pads beneath both feet, and a lotus halo behind, flanked by devis above
16½ in. (42 cm.) high
來源
Acquired in the 1990s

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拍品專文

Mahishasura was a pious devotee to Brahma and was rewarded with a boon that no man or god would be able to conquer him. Thus invincible, he battled the gods and took over the heavens. Helpless against Brahma's boon, the gods appealed to the goddess Parvati, who agreed to harness the shakti of all female celestial beings to fight Mahishasura. She assumed the form of Durga and each god offered her a weapon - Shiva gave his trident, Vishnu gave his chakra, and Vayu donated his bow and arrow. Durga created seven female warriors called matrikas to assist in her task and after nine days of fighting, she vanquished Mahishasura and his army and restored the heavens to the gods.
In this very finely carved and powerful rendition, Durga has twenty-four arms instead of the usual eight or ten. Calmly poised amidst her swirling arms, her various weapons include two spears that emerge from the asuras standing on either side, an arrow quiver supported by a matrika on the left, the chakra embedded into the side of the buffalo, and the trident buried into its neck.