Artwork
Durga and Nisumbha
Durga and Nisumbha is a paint painting by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Created in 1890, this work combines watercolor with a tin alloy applied to cardboard.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, this work combines watercolor with a tin alloy applied to cardboard. It portrays the Hindu goddess Durga engaged in combat with the demon Nisumbha, capturing a moment of dynamic confrontation.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a bare‑chested, yellow‑clad Durga brandishing a sword, her hair untamed and arms raised in attack. Opposite her rides a blue‑dressed figure on a white horse, wielding a staff, embodying the demon Nisumbha in a poised, forward‑leaning stance.
Technique & Style
The artist employs vivid watercolor washes contrasted with metallic tin alloy accents, especially evident in the sharp black outlines of the figures' jewelry and armor. The limited background space emphasizes the bright palette and the kinetic energy of the scene.
Context
The piece reflects the Kalighat school of painting, a 19th‑century Bengal tradition known for its bold lines, flat color fields, and narrative focus on mythological subjects, often rendered on inexpensive cardboard for popular consumption.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
