Kali attacking Nisumbha
1740
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1740
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Kali attacking Nisumbha is a 1740 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A black goddess with four arms dances on a fallen green demon. She holds a long trident, a sword, a shield, and a severed head. Below her, two smaller demons and a chariot lie broken. This is Kali, a Hindu goddess who stops evil from spreading. The story says the demon’s blood creates new demons if it touches the ground—so Kali sticks out her tongue to catch every drop. The artist painted this in the Pahari kingdoms, where rulers loved bold, colorful scenes of gods and battles. To see more paintings like this, look up northern India, Pahari kingdoms.
The powerful black Hindu goddess Kali effortlessly slays an eight-armed spotted green demon with an impossibly long trident. His chariot horses and two minions lie incapacitated below. Kali’s tongue lolls out, indicating her ability to catch blood before it touches the ground: one of her demonic enemies has blood that generates another demon every time one drop comes in contact with the earth. The demon is a metaphor for wicked thoughts that give rise to more evil thoughts; Kali aids her followers in eradicating them all.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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