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Matangi

ca. 1880–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
The goddess Matangi is one of the ten Mahavidyas (Great Wisdom Goddesses), tantric personifications of different facets of Devi, the supreme goddess. Devotional texts prescribe that Matangi be represented as a beautiful young woman with a dark complexion and long black hair; here she is dressed in red sari, crowned and bejeweled, and seated on a golden dais. Matangi is also the outcaste goddess; she is understood to have tribal origins, and thus exists outside the traditional caste system. She is worshipped by those who dwell on the peripheries of Hindu society. Her name alludes to elephants, forest-dwelling animals, and her attributes appropriately include an elephant goad (ankusha). Devotees invoke her to acquire supernatural powers, especially for gaining control over one's enemies.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Matangi
  • Date: ca. 1880–85
  • Culture: West Bengal, Kolkata
  • Medium: Lithograph with black ink, watercolor, and varnish on paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 15 1/8 × 11 in. (38.4 × 27.9 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Robert and Bobbie Falk Philanthropic Fund Gift, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.199
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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