Feared and Revered

Feared and Revered: Feminine Power through the Ages celebrates the power and diversity of female spiritual beings in cultural traditions and beliefs across the globe.

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This exhibition from the British Museum explores how goddesses, demons, witches, spirits and saints have shaped our understanding of the world.

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Exhibition highlights

Hardened clay panel showing a central, winged female figure with two owls either side and a pair of small lions below. - click to view larger image — 'Queen of the Night' relief, Iraq

A Yawkyawk sculpture made from coloured plant fibre woven into the shape of a fish that has a small round human shaped head and a triangular tail. The fibres are woven in sections and are coloured red, yellow, beige and brown earth tones. A smaller Yawkyawk is woven into the body of the larger one. - click to view larger image — *Yawkyawk (Ngalkunburriyaymi)*, Australia

Icon of a goddess, painted black, with red-rimmed eyes and red hands, striding over recumbent figure of Siva. Her necklace is formed of severed heads and in her arms she holds a severed head and a sword. Her skirt is composed of severed arms. - click to view larger image — Kali icon, India

A rounded oblong slab, in rough violin form, drawn in at the waist and with a tapering tang for the head and neck. The front is worked in low relief to indicate the female sex; the arms are folded across in front, the breasts are shown, a necklace and the vulva triangle are indicated by incisions. - click to view larger image — Female figure, Greece

Carved wooden mask with seven boar's tusks. Painted in black, red, white and orange. Gilded in parts. She has two red, gilded stops in her ears. - click to view larger image — Rangda mask, Bali

Side view of Medusa in orange stone, with eyes cast downwards and wings appearing from the side of her head. - click to view larger image — Intaglio ring of Medusa, Italy

Marble statue of Aphrodite represented with her hands covering her breasts and genitals. A water vessel draped with a discarded garment forms the statue's support. - click to view larger image — Statue of Venus, Italy

Colourful scene with two central characters ringed by flames as they entwine in a sexual embrace. They're surrounded by other smaller figures of godly creatures riding stylised animals, either floating in the sky on clouds or moving in the green underground. - click to view larger image — *Yab-yum thang-kha* painted scroll (detail), Tibet, China

Mask made of clay, fibre and silk. It displays stylised features with a menacing facial expression including tusks and a large protruding tongue. It's hair is matted and radiating from it's skull, and its eyes are open and brows furrowed. - click to view larger image — Taraka dance mask, India

Menat-counterpoise amulet, Egypt

Statue icon made of gold and bronze. It is seated cross-legged with right hand resting on its knee and left hand raised in a sign of peace. Its head is tilted slightly and features a serene facial expression. - click to view larger image — Figurine of White Tara, Tibet, China

Terracotta face with tongue poking out, bordered by arched frame. Some pale black and red-purple paint is visible. - click to view larger image — Antefix in the form of Medusa’s head, Italy

Bright mask of a face with bulging blue eyes, red horns and long, black plaits. - click to view larger image — Mask of China Supay, Bolivia

Porcelain sculpture of a figure with eighteen arms, seated on a ornately decorated base. - click to view larger image — Figure of Guanyin, China

Relief sculpture of two people interacting with each other. - click to view larger image — Relief, Greece

Feminine power through the ages

Through universal themes of creation, passion, war, justice and mercy, Feared and Revered highlights the many faces of feminine power – ferocious, beautiful, creative or hell-bent – and its profound influence through the ages.

Feared and Revered showcases more than 160 objects from the British Museum’s exceptional collection, spanning six continents and 5,000 years, from 2800 BCE to the present day.

The exhibition presents a fascinating range of monumental sculpture, sacred artefacts and contemporary artworks, alongside Australian Indigenous representations of female ancestral figures and popular culture embodiments of the divine.

Faces of Feminine Power education program

Year 7–12, 1 hour, $15
Journey across cultures and through the ages to encounter the many faces of feminine power.

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Shop online or in-store for homewares, gifts, jewellery and more.

Buy companion publication

Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic is packed with insights into different cultures and beliefs.

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Feared and Revered group tours

Take a 45-minute host led tour. For groups of 10 or more.

Feared and Revered includes contemporary reflections by former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce; Bangarra dance artist Kassidy Waters; world-renowned classicist Dame Mary Beard; human rights lawyer Rabia Siddique; comedian and host of The Guilty Feminist podcast, Deborah Frances-White; playwright and critic Bonnie Greer; and award-winning writer and presenter of the podcast How To Fail, Elizabeth Day.

Feared and Revered is a timely exhibition exploring and questioning feminine power, authority and identity. The exhibition is on show at the National Museum of Australia from 8 December 2022 to 27 August 2023.

See list of international loan objects from the British Museum

Acknowledgements

The presentation of Feared and Revered: Feminine Power through the Ages is a collaboration between the British Museum and the National Museum of Australia.

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