The Met displays the Ten Great Wisdom Goddesses of Bengal

A chromolithograph from the Calcutta studio workshops of the 1880s renders two of the Mahavidyas with luminous precision: Bhuvaneshvari on the left, robed in coral silk and deepest jade, her four arms raised in benediction and command; Bagala on the right, draped in gold and ochre, her posture one of contained power. The goddesses emerge from richly patterned floors and jewelled interiors, attended by celestial beings and framed by swags of emerald and wine coloured silk.

The Mahavidyas occupy a singular place in Hindu devotional life. These ten Great Wisdom Goddesses embody the supreme power of Devi, the ultimate goddess, and manifest Shakti, the divine feminine energy that animates all creation. Bhuvaneshvari holds dominion over the primordial creative forces of the physical world itself; her presence generates and sustains material existence. Bagala commands a quieter, more penetrating mastery, her gift the silencing of speech and the stilling of the mind through the dissolution of delusions and false understanding.

What strikes the viewer immediately is the devotional intimacy of the rendering. Both goddesses are depicted as youthful and beautiful, their faces serene and luminous, their jewellery elaborate and gleaming. The chromolithographic process, imported to Calcutta in the nineteenth century, allowed these prints to enter Indian households as objects of daily reverence, bringing the sublime into domestic space. Gold and vermillion catch the light; the rich vegetable pigments retain a depth that speaks of hand craftsmanship.

The Met’s exhibition “Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860 to 1930” contextualises this single print within a broader narrative of spiritual practice and technological innovation. Here, in the Asian Art galleries, devotional imagery addresses the viewer across more than a century with undiminished grace.

Imagery courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum).