Lot 71
THE DURGA SLAYS MASHISHA ‡
INDIA, RAJASTHAN, MEWAR, CIRCA 1780
Auction: 10 December 2025 from 14:00 GMT
Description
gouache on paper heightened in gold, within a black margin line and red border, depicting the multi-armed goddess Durga holding all her attributes standing on her fierce tiger in triumph above the buffalo-demon Mashishashura, two domestic dogs and attendants in the foreground, a decapitated head of the buffalo on the ground, mounted, glazed and framed, backboard with old stickers
Dimensions
43.8cm x 24cm
Provenance
Previously with Chemould, Mumbai.
Formerly, the collection of Ismail Merchant (1936-2005); Christie’s, Ismail Merchant Collection, 7 October 2009, lot 136.
The collection of a German enthusiast.
Footnote
The excitement of this eighteenth century Mewar painting springs out with sheer energy and gusto as the Durga, the wife of Siva, astride her tiger descends on the buffalo-demon Mahisha brandishing weapons on a grand scale. Mahisha retaliates by ripping up mountains with his horns and throwing them at the goddess. With a pronged trident in hand, she chops off his head as he falls to be mauled by the Durga's tiger and baying hounds.
From the collection of the film producer Ismail Marchant (b. 1936), long time professional and domestic partner for forty-four years of the film director James Ivory until Merchant's death in 2005. This lot is the same subject and school as a painting from the James Ivory collection exhibited at Asia House, New York in 1973.
For a related example, see S.C. Welch, A Flower from Every Meadow, Indian Paintings from American Collections, New York, 1973, no. 10 and J.P.Losty, Indian Miniatures from the James Ivory Collection, Francesca Galoway Catalogue, London, 2010, for further examples from his collection.