figure
- Museum number
- 2022,3005.1
- Title
- Object: Kali Mutri
- Description
-
Murti (icon) of the goddess Kālī striding over recumbent Śiva. Her necklace is formed of severed heads and in her arms she holds a severed head and a sword. Her skirt is composed of severed arms.
- Production date
- 2021
- Dimensions
-
Height: 155 centimetres
-
Width: 80 centimetres
-
Depth: 40 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Kali is one of the most prominent and widely worshipped goddesses in India, particularly in West Bengal. She is worshipped in various forms – this icon is a form of the goddess Kali known as Maa Bhabatarini.
Traditionally these icons are made of clay from the banks of the river Ganges but, to ensure her longevity, this murti is constructed with fibreglass painted in black oil-based colour and her hair is from jute fibre. During construction the artist placed some clay inside her so she will always have a part of the sacred Ganges wiithin. The jewellery is made from golden threads, pearls and beads. A large crown, embellished with gold leaf, sits on her head behind her third eye. She wears red and white bangles on both hands and the vermillion on her forehead identifies Maa Kali as a married Bengali woman.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2022 19 May – 25 Sept, London, British Museum, G35, Feminine Power
2022 - 2023 8 Dec – 27 Aug, Canberra, National Museum of Australia, Feminine Power
2023 – 2024 5 Oct - 28 Jan, Barcelona, Caixaforum, Feminine Power
2024 29 Feb – 9 Jun, Madrid, Caixaforum , Feminine Power
- Associated events
- Used at: Kali-Puja
- Acquisition notes
- In January 2022 the British Museum welcomed the arrival of a newly commissioned Murti (icon) of the Goddess Kali. Made by renowned artist Kaushik Ghosh in Kolkata, India, the Kali icon was the product of a collaboration between the British Museum and a collective of devotees from the London Durgotsav Committee – a London-based Bengali Hindu charitable organisation. The London Durgotsav Committee (a collective of around 8 people) acted as community consultants to the Museum during the development of the exhibiton Feminine Power: the divine to the demonic. Their expert insight and personal perspectives enabled the Museum to create a nuanced cultural understanding of the enduring nature and contemporary relevance of the goddess today in the exhibition’s interpretation.
Further information on the commission and related films can be found on the Communities Projects page of the British Museum website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/learn/communities/projects
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 2022,3005.1
