August 2021
Pearls from the Ocean of Contentment
Mounted on a tiger and wielding a different weapon in each of her arms, the warrior goddess Durga leaps through the air to smite a buffalo demon. The artist depicts the climactic moment when the shapeshifting demon Mahisha emerges from within the buffalo, revealing his true form moments before his death. While the water buffalo has long played an important role in South Asian agriculture, in ancient religious texts it epitomizes the chaotic forces of wilderness. The inscription on the reverse identifies the painter, the Muslim artist Savaddin, and states that the work was intended as a gift to the Maharaja of Bikaner.  

Temple, Palace, Mosque: 2010

Durga is the great warrior goddess of India to whom many devotees pray for victory in battle. She simultaneously smites the demon with a dagger and pierces his body with her spear. She has already beheaded the buffalo head of the demon, seen here emerging from the neck in his true form in the climactic moment just prior to his death.

The inscription on the reverse of this page gives the name of the Muslim artist, the date, and the fact that this painting was created to be a najar, or gift, from the artist to the Maharaja of Bikaner. Painted only four years before India was officially made a colony of the British, this artist shows no interest in incorporating European stylistic elements. It is an exceptionally fine example of traditional Rajput painting for this late date.

____________________________________________________

November 2004
Asian Tastes Installation
Durga is the great warrior goddess of India to whom many devotees pray for victory in battle. She was generated by the gods as the sum total of all their conquering power (tejas). In each of her eight arms she holds a weapon, including a dagger with a rounded handle shaped much like the gray jade dagger from the Schinasi collection. She simultaneously smites the demon with a katar dagger and pierces his body with her spear. She has already beheaded the buffalo head of the demon, who is here seen emerging from the neck in his true form in the climactic moment just prior to his death.
Last Updated: 2/2/2022