Quite tall and well built, the figure of the goddess has been conceived with eight arms, a form unanimously lauded and worshipped in theological and iconographic tradition as Ashta-bhuja-dhari : the eight-armed manifestation of the goddess Durga. She has been represented as carrying in her hands on the right side a disc, sword, mace and a bow, and on the left, conch, trident, hammer with a Vajra-head, and an arrow. Typical to Madhubani folk tradition the goddess has been portrayed in profile, like a cut-out, with a large eye, a linear form of ear with a bold ear-ring on it and dark deep thick hair with a lock curling over her cheek painted over it for defining the face. An intricate mark on the forehead looks simultaneously like a trident, a third eye and an ornament : an ornamental pendant. She is wearing a crown and around it radiates an identically shaped halo. The goddess is putting on a broad close-clinging necklace besides a larger one worn over her breast-part. A set of typical multi-tiered vertical loops suspending along is a strange element.
Her ensemble consists of a full sleeved tight-fitted blouse, a large diversely striped sash long enough to unfurl covering two-third of the canvas breadth, a tight-fitted ‘antariya’ worn like a pajama and a decorative patta in the parting of the legs. A three-tiered girdle styled like a waist-band contains the ‘antariya’ and the decorative patta on the waist. It also holds the upper wear under its fold. The thick dark hair of the goddess beautifully unfurls on either side along her figure reaching down the thigh level. The figure of the goddess reveals great excitement and action, and her eye, her divine concern and intent. Hardly different in anatomy and iconography the two attending Shaktis have been almost identically portrayed. They are putting on similar kind of costume and have been similarly modeled.
The painting is contained within a double frame, the outermost being a formless band of dark black, and the inner, consisting of a band conceived with a course of closely drawn slanting lines intercepted with roundels at equi-distance. Rendered just in black – used in its pure tone, without shading or blended with any other colour, against a white background affording it brilliant contrast, the painting discovers its entire magic in the technique of using it. Though mostly line-drawn creating most of its effects by such lines’ thickness, length, density, combinations etc and using brush as and when necessary the painting creates variegating effect. Covered with patches of grass-like drawn lines the background has a marshy land’s appearance.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.
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