Goddess Matangi

Art Historical Context

This vibrant lithograph depicts Goddess Matangi, a deity in Hindu Tantric traditions, revered as one of the ten Mahavidyas associated with knowledge, music, and the arts. Produced around 1880–85 in Calcutta (modern-day Kolkata), West Bengal it exemplifies the flourishing of popular print culture in 19th-century India. Calcutta's bustling print workshops blended European lithography with indigenous devotional imagery, making sacred art accessible to a wide audience beyond temple elites. Printed in black ink on paper and meticulously hand-colored with watercolor, the sheet (15 1/8 × 11 in.) features selective glazes that add luminous depth and jewel-like highlights. This hybrid technique—affordable mass production elevated by artisanal finishing—created affordable yet strikingly beautiful icons for home altars, reflecting colonial-era innovations in Asian printmaking. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2021 through the Robert and Bobbie Falk Philanthropic Fund, this work highlights Matangi's cultural role in Shakta worship, bridging art, spirituality, and everyday devotion in Bengal's dynamic religious landscape. A testament to anonymous craftsmanship, it invites visitors to appreciate the fusion of technology and piety.