Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Goddess Durga slaying the demon Mahisha

ca. 12th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
The goddess Durga is widely worshipped as the all-powerful conqueror of evil and the great protector of her devotees. She is an expression of the wrathful aspect of Parvati, Shiva’s consort. To wield the cosmic weapons lent to her by the male gods who were unable to subdue the demon (asura) Mahisha, the goddess assumes her ten-armed form. She successfully slays Mahisha, shown here in his buffalo aspect. This bronze would have graced the shrine of a wealthy devotee in medieval Bengal. Its pedestal mouldings and cusped arch evoke monumental Pala-era temple architecture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Goddess Durga slaying the demon Mahisha
  • Period: Pala-Sena dynasty
  • Date: ca. 12th century
  • Culture: Bangladesh, northern Bengal, possibly Varendra region
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm); W. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); D. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, David Nalin Gift, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation and Richard Greenbaum Funds, and Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, 2020
  • Object Number: 2020.399
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure), Okak-Fang artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil, Okak-Fang peoples
Eyema byeri (reliquary guardian figure)
Okak-Fang artist
19th century
Triptych shrine dedicated to Jagannatha, Opaque watercolor on wood, India, Puri, Odisha
Triptych shrine dedicated to Jagannatha
India, Puri, Odisha
ca. 1960
Nkishi (community power figure), Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist), Wood, copper, brass, iron, fiber, snakeskin, leather, fur, feathers, mud, resin, Songye peoples
Nkishi (community power figure)
Songye artist and nganga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century
Krishna and Arjuna (Krishna Arjun), Photo-offset lithograph on paper, original frame, India, Mumbai
Krishna and Arjuna (Krishna Arjun)
India, Mumbai
mid-20th century
Buddha Expounding the Dharma, Copper alloy, Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura)
Buddha Expounding the Dharma
Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura)
late 8th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.