India (north, made)
mid 7th century
This terracotta sculpture shows the Hindu goddess Durga killing the demon Mahisa disguised as a buffalo. It is a recurrent subject in Hindu sculpture from the Kushan period (1st century AD-320 AD) onwards.
This form of Durga goes through an elaborate iconographic evolution which we can trace through rock-cut and freestanding versions. The majority are large-scale images in a temple context. This representation is a small-scale terracotta, crudely modelled for use perhaps in a household or wayside shrine. It shows Durga in an early four-armed form, lifting the buffalo’s body up by the tail and holding its head down with her foot so she can despatch it with Shiva’s trident.
Victoria and Albert Museum
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