Object Details
Label
The goddess Danteshwari, often depicted riding an elephant, is worshiped in shrines thoughout Bastar District in Madhya Pradesh. A common form of the Mother Goddess, Danteshwari is also the primary deity of the royal house of Bastar. During the annual festival of Dussehra, thousands of people flock to the capital city of Jagdalur to pay their respects to the goddess. A bronze image of Danteshwari is placed on the back of an elephant and carried in procession throughout the streets. It is accompanied by other bronze images of Danteshwari that have been brought to the city from reigional shrines. Sculptors may have begun protraying Danteshwari seated on an elephant after seeing images of the goddess carried by elephants in this type of procession.
Provenance
At least ca. 1970-1990
Marilyn Hirsh (1944-1988) and James Harris, method of acquisition unknown [1]
From 1990
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from James Harris through Peter Marks Works of Art, New York, NY [2]
Notes:
[1] See note on Arthur M. Sackler Gallery letter from Carol Radcliffe Bolon, Assistant Curator, South and Southeast Asian Art, dated April 9, 1990, copy in object file. Carol Radcliffe Bolon says “[...] I knew Marilyn Hirsh and James Harris in graduate school at New York University Institute of Fine Arts since 1970 and I saw their collection of Indian art including the objects now being offered for sale to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery […].”
Marilyn Hirsh was a historian of Indian and Buddhist art and taught at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and the Cooper Union. She married her husband, James H. Harris in 1973. Together they resided in New York, NY. Hirsh also authored several children’s books.
[2] See Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on April 25, 1990, copy in object file.
See also Peter Marks Works of Art, Inc., invoice dated March 23, 1990, copy in object file.
Research updated June 8, 2023
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Exhibition History
Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion (Friday, April 26, 1996 - Sunday, July 09, 2000)
Previous custodian or owner
Marilyn Hirsh (1944-1988)
James H. Harris
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds
Date
19th-20th century
Accession Number
S1990.4a-c
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Brass
Dimensions
H x W x D (assembled): 43.3 x 11.9 x 25.5 cm (17 1/16 x 4 11/16 x 10 1/16 in)
Origin
Chhattisgarh state, India
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
casting
metal
brass (alloy)
elephant
India
Danteshwari
South Asian and Himalayan Art
howdah
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1990.4a-c