The Goddess Devi Fights Demon Mahisha as He Changes Forms (illustration to the Devi Mahatmya)

ca. 1800

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About the Artwork

This action-packed painting represents successive moments in an episode of the Devi Mahatmya, a devotional text centered on Devi, the supreme Goddess of the Hindu traditions. During a long, drawn-out battle, the powerful demon Mahisha (“Buffalo” in Sanskrit) attacks Devi’s lion. When the Goddess traps him, he abandons his buffalo form and changes into a lion — here depicted as a tiger. As soon as Devi slays the demon’s feline form, he changes into a man wielding a sword and shield. When the Goddess conquers this human form, the demon changes into an elephant. Devi severs his trunk with a blow from her sword, at which point he resumes his buffalo form to continue the battle.

Devi is known by many names and takes on many forms; in her fight against the buffalo demon, she is commonly called Durga. Here, the Goddess wears protective armor and wields threatening weapons and other attributes in her eighteen hands.

Title The Goddess Devi Fights Demon Mahisha as He Changes Forms (illustration to the Devi Mahatmya)

Artwork Date ca. 1800

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Indian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions Image: 8 1/8 × 11 7/8 inches (20.6 × 30.2 cm) Sheet: 10 3/8 × 14 1/16 inches (26.4 × 35.7 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Asian Art

Credit Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel and Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Figiel

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 69.427

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Provenance

Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel and Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Figiel;
1969-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Indian, The Goddess Devi Fights Demon Mahisha as He Changes Forms (illustration to the Devi Mahatmya), ca. 1800, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel and Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Figiel, 69.427.