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Bhadrakali, Destroyer of the Universe, from the Tantric Devi series

ca. 1660–70
Not on view
To her devotees, the Great Goddess is the supreme expression of divine power. She can manifest in many forms, from the benign to the wrathful, as seen here in the figure of Bhadrakali, shown with fanged teeth and flaring eyes tinged with red. An embodiment of Shiva (shakti), she displays on her forehead the god’s identifiers: the third eye, the crescent moon, and the horizontal marking of his devotees. This painting belongs to the so-called Tantric Devi series, each of which bears a Sanskrit text in black ink on the reverse to be recited during private meditations on the goddess. A masterpiece of experiential drama, it is one of most awesome paintings from the series to survive. The red border, saturated colors, and merest hint of a landscape setting—just ground and cloudy sky—are all signature elements of the Pahari school of Basohli.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bhadrakali, Destroyer of the Universe, from the Tantric Devi series
  • Date: ca. 1660–70
  • Culture: India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, gold, silver, and beetle-wing cases on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 9 1/16 × 8 1/4 in. (23 × 21 cm)
    Framed: 12 1/2 × 11 5/8 × 3/4 in. (31.8 × 29.5 × 1.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.243
  • Rights and Reproduction: Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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