Durga

In mythology, Durga was called to life by uniting the powers of all the male gods in order to kill the invincible demon, Mahisha, who threatened the heavenly world of the gods. The sinister, wildly roaring goddess is depicted here as an aristocratic, cool beauty, with all her weapons given to her by the gods. Finally, the Himalayas gave her a lion. The fact that she is riding a tiger here proves that the iconography of the goddess has blended Western origins with Eastern, tribal elements.

This picture, together with the pictures 028710 and 028711, can be placed in a stylistic circle that unites the traditions of miniature painting from West India with European conventions and techniques. In Rajasthan, the so-called Company style did not gain as much ground[1], because the Rajput princes were often generous patrons of artistic traditions, the use of watercolor instead of gouache, sombre sepia and indigo blue, as well as the treatment of the faces show Western influence[2]. However, the meticulous depiction of the textiles and jewelry are typically Indian, and lack the scientific, documentary coolness of theCompany style. These images of the gods are forerunners of the printed poster variants.