Goddess Dhumavati
The Mahavidya goddess Dhumavati, literally "the smoky one," is one of the ten wisdom goddesses of Hinduism, and is associated with things inauspicious and unpleasing. Depicted as an aged widow with disheveled, unbound hair and wearing ragged clothing, Dhumavati is also associated with the four months of the rainy season (Chaturmas) when no auspicious celebrations should be held.S he is represented holding a winnowing tray of woven bamboo that, along with her haggard physique, are her principal identifiers. She typically rides a black crow as her vehicle (vahana), but here her crows circle overhead as she rides atop a monumental towering temple car, a four-storied structure modelled after later medieval Bengali brick temple architecture. The goddess is credited with rescuing devotees from life’s troubles and aiding in the defeat of one’s enemies.
Artwork Details
- Title: Goddess Dhumavati
- Artist: Sasadhar Banarjee ; Designer and publisher
- Date: ca. 1875–85
- Culture: West Bengal, Calcutta
- Medium: Lithograph, printed in black and hand-coloring with watercolor and selectively applied glaze
- Dimensions: Sheet: 15 5/8 × 11 7/8 in. (39.7 × 30.2 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Kipper Family Foundation Gift, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.192
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Sasadhar Banarjee
ca. 1875–85
Sasadhar Banarjee
ca. 1875–85
Shib Gobin Lal
ca. 1870–80
G. C. Dass
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ca. 1880–85 (recto); ca. 1875–85 (verso)
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