Devi in Her Primordial Form

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The eight-armed lion-riding goddess, despite that in some of her hands she is carrying Vaishnava attributes, is a goddess in Shaivite line, more likely Devi in her primordial form conceived with powers and attributes of all gods, the feminine counterpart of Shiva. Not so much in the attributes which she is carrying in her hands, a trident, bow, noose, a dagger-like object, or a book, and a gesture of ‘abhaya’ besides the pure Vaishnava attributes disc, lotus and mace, her Shaivite links reveal, and quite decisively, in her mount lion and the flames of fire behind her head forming a halo for her. While lion is her own attribute, flames are Shiva’s. She has on her forehead not merely the ‘tripunda’, the Shaivite mark comprising three horizontal lines, but also ‘tri-netra’ – third eye, Shiva’s distinction that she shares with him as his consort.

The Devi image has been installed in a ‘prabhavali’ – fire-arch, which consists of three parts, a circular middle with outer ring comprising stylised lotuses, and inner and central rings, beads and foliage, the base, a pair of artistically moulded half columns between which is poised Devi’s lion, and the top, a ‘kirtimukha’, the symbol of auspiciousness or the face of glory, as it is sometimes called. The ‘kirtimukha’ is one of the most artistically conceived parts of this wood-statue. ‘Kirtimukha’ is often contended to be a pre-Vedic motif. It was initially conceived like a mask. Incidentally, the ‘kirtimukha’ part in the ‘prabhavali’, with large massive whiskers unfurling on either side, looks like a mask, perhaps as it was initially conceived.

The goddess has been conceived as putting on a headdress much like a towering Vaishnava crown; however it has in its forepart a motif which looks like flames. Apart, the crown is contained within flames framing it from outside. The figure of the goddess has been conceived with sharp features, narrow pointed nose, arched eye-brows, an elongated angular face, curved lips with mild smile floating on them, thoughtful eyes, and a broader breast-space between the neck and breasts. In the statue breasts seem to have descended a little lower than their usual level. A beautifully subdued belly defines her middle part. She is wearing an elegantly plaited ‘antariya’ and is seated in ‘lalitasana’, the right leg suspending down to the pedestal, while the left, lying horizontally on the lion’s back in semi-yogasana posture.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.