Matrika- the mother goddess in Indian iconography is a subject as old as Indian civilization. Terracotta statues of mother goddesses, voluptuous feminine figures on temple walls, and votive images of folk mother goddesses, all celebrate the life-affirming energies of the female.
In the adornments of temple walls, beautiful women with children in their laps are often termed “Aditi”, the mother of gods and a universal symbol of motherhood in Hinduism. Their presence in the sanctum complex fills the ambiance with the enriching powers of maternal love and the divinity that resides in the being of a mother. One such specimen of divine motherhood is this pink stone mother and child sculpture.
The mother stands on a stylistically sculpted inverted lotus platform which appears to be imbued with the softness of floras. The youthful mother, brimming with ethereal exquisiteness strikes a relaxed posture that is beautified further by her ethnic ornamentation. Her heavy tresses are tied in a loose bun which is delineated in this pink stone statue with fine incised lines which are adorned by a simple Maangtika (head ornament). In her ears, the mother has a pair of dehri (disc-shaped earrings), two necklaces, armbands, bracelets, a gemmed mekhla (girdle), and leg ornaments.
A patterned dhoti (lower body garment) enwraps her shapely legs and a delicate scarf draped around her body provides a softened border to her pleasing form. With her right hand, the stone mother icon holds a Ghata or Ghada (earthen pot) which constitutes the richness of mud (earth), and Jala (water) is an auspicious symbol in Hindu art. The Maatrika’s left-hand holds her child on her waist whose plum limbs and dotting face are artistically presented in this pink stone mother and child sculpture.
The child appears to be looking up at his mother, while his hand is placed on her breast as if requesting her to feed him. Near the right leg of the mother stands another child, probably elder than his sibling since he can stand upright, though only with the support of his mother. Holding the tassel of his mother’s girdle to stand and a ball or laddo (sweet) in his hand, the child perfectly underlines the total dependency of a child on his mother.
Behind the mother and child statue is the image of a cow, looking up dynamically. Cow (gau in Sanskrit) is the Hindu ideal of the selflessness of a mother, who nurtures not only her calf but anyone who approaches her for food (milk) and is thus the perfect element to be added to this picture of maternal paradise. In the background of this pink stone mother and child sculpture is a sprawling tree, which symbolizes the origination of life and new beginnings.
The muted pink shade of the stone has helped the artist recreate a natural skin tone for his subjects, bringing in this artwork a distinctive realism. An icon of maternal affection, warmth and beauty, and power of the female, this pink stone sculpture of mother and child will become a source of positive and blissful energies in your space.
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