Defeated Attendant of the Buffalo Demon

Description This kneeling figure once belonged to a larger sculpture depicting the slaying of the Buffalo Demon by the Hindu goddess Durga. As Durga defeated the Buffalo Demon, she also defeated his companions. Her discus has been lodged in the chest of this attendant. Setting down his club, he looks up toward the goddess. Though his face shows a grimace, his defeat is a blessing: Freed from the clutches of the Buffalo Demon, he has been saved by Durga’s powerful grace.

Exhibitions

• Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. 2001-2003.

Provenance Edward King [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1983, by purchase.

Credit Promised gift of John and Berthe Ford