Kali, the Wrathful Protector

Title

Kali, the Wrathful Protector

Maker

Ravi Varma Press (studio work)

Place

Malavli, Maharashtra, India

Date

c. 1910–20

Medium

Chromolithograph with varnish on paper

Sheet size

About 20 × 14 in (about 51 × 36 cm)

Subject

Kali, the fierce, protective form of the Divine Mother, standing on Shiva

The press

Founded by the painter Raja Ravi Varma (Indian, 1848–1906) in Bombay in 1894; taken over by Fritz Schleicher in 1901

Held by

Impressions: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2013.17); Wellcome Collection, London (26616i). Not affiliated with or endorsed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art or Wellcome Collection.

Rights

The print is in the public domain. Image source: scan V0045118 of the London impression, on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; cropped and colors adjusted.

Kali is the fierce, protective form of the Divine Mother, worshiped across India and beyond, and above all in Bengal. Here she stands with one foot on Shiva, her consort, who lies beneath her. In South Asia, wrathful images of the divine are meant to protect and nurture. Prints like this one brought the goddess into ordinary homes and household shrines.

The painter Raja Ravi Varma founded a lithographic press in Bombay in 1894. Its color prints of Hindu gods and goddesses became widely popular. In 1901 the press was taken over by Fritz Schleicher, the German printer who had helped run it from the start. Ravi Varma died in 1906, and the press went on printing under his name.

Schleicher kept Ravi Varma’s pictures in print and later hired other artists to make new designs. This Kali comes from those later years. It dates from about 1910–20 and is catalogued as a studio work made after the painter’s death. It became one of the press’s most popular prints. The bold blocks of color and the way the goddess faces the viewer head-on are far from the painter’s early style.

• Woven wall hanging, 100% cotton, with colorful fringed edges
• Three sizes: 52 × 37 in (132 × 94 cm), 60 × 50 in (152 × 127 cm), 80 × 60 in (203 × 152 cm)
• Size tolerance ±2.5 in (about 6 cm)
• Made to hang on a wall (hanging hardware not included)
• Woven threads soften fine linework; colors and texture differ slightly from the screen image
• Catalogue N° 002 · The Noha Studio

A note on this work: Kali is a living goddess, worshiped by millions. This piece is offered as a wall hanging, to be hung with care and respect. Please don’t use it as a floor, beach or picnic blanket.

• Machine wash cold, max 30°C / 86°F
• Gentle cycle, mild detergent
• Non-chlorine bleach only if needed
• Tumble dry low

Designed by The Noha Studio. Made to order by our production partner in the USA.

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