Hand-Painted Marble Dust Durga Mata on Lion, 9 in

The form: Durga Mata on her lion

This murti shows Durga Mata as Sherawali, the Mother who rides the lion. She sits side-saddle on its back, one foot resting on a small rock under the lion's raised forepaw, while the lion walks forward with its head turned to the viewer. Eight arms fan out on either side of her. On one side a curved sword is lifted high and a trident rests in another hand; on the other a mace stands upright and smaller emblems are held in the remaining hands. One right hand is raised, palm open, in the gesture of blessing. A crown sits on her head, and a halo of gold rays opens behind it like the sun.

The painting: white, gold and a pink garland

The colour on the piece is brushwork. The figure and the lion are left a clean white, and the detail is picked out by hand: gold dots and lines along the hem of her sari, the borders of the lion's saddle cloth and the edges of the base; a pink garland from her shoulders to her knee; pink fingertips and toes; a saffron and gold mane on the lion with its eyes and whiskers painted in. A gold vine runs along the front of the rectangular base. The effect is bright but not loud, which suits a home mandir where the murti is seen up close every day.

The size: 9 inches for a home mandir

The piece stands 9 inches tall and about 6.75 inches wide, on a rectangular base about 2.5 inches high. That is the size of a murti for a shelf mandir or a small wooden temple at home, and a comfortable size to carry for Navratri, when Durga Mata is often brought home and set up for the nine nights. It also works as a gift for a griha pravesh or a family that keeps the Devi at home.

The material: cast marble dust

Marble dust composite is crushed marble bound in resin, cast in a mould and then finished and painted by hand. It gives a smooth, bright white surface that holds fine painted detail, and it is lighter than solid stone of the same size. Wipe it with a soft dry or barely damp cloth; avoid water standing on the painted surface and keep it out of strong direct sun for many years of colour.

About the picture on this page

The photograph is of this design, cut out from the workshop photograph onto a plain backdrop. Nothing in the piece was redrawn or generated. Each piece is cast and painted by hand, so the painting can vary a little from one to the next.