Stories
- Article
Political brilliance and the power of self-promotion
How do you convince people you’re exceptional? Meet the ultimate self-styled genius.
- Article
When wounds replace words
For the many thousands of refugees waiting in Greece, the process to establish the truth of their tragic personal histories is often extremely upsetting. But a group of medics and legal workers is working together to make the system more humane.
- Article
The meanings of hurt
In the early modern period, gruesome incidents of self-castration and other types of self-injury garnished the literature of the time. Alanna Skuse explores the messages these wounds conveyed.
- Article
How trauma affects the body and mind
The long and devastating aftermath of an attack have given writer and broadcaster Bidisha unique insight into the suffering of other victims. Here she explores survival and healing in those who have experienced trauma.
Catalogue
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Hooks, ropes and a lancet used by Hindu ascetics for self-torture. Engraving, 1798.
Date: May 1798Reference: 567798i
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Two Hindu ascetics or holy men, one performing self-torture. Gouache painting by an artist of Thanjavur (Tanjore), ca. 1800 (?).
Date: 1800Reference: 567686i
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A Hindu ascetic or holy man performing self-torture, accompanied by a woman. Gouache painting by an artist of Thanjavur (Tanjore), ca. 1800 (?).
Date: 1800Reference: 567682i
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A Hindu ascetic or holy man: suspended upside down over a small fire by cords tied around his ankles. Watercolour, ca. 1880 (?).
Date: [1880? (?)]Reference: 566997i
- Pictures
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A Hindu ascetic or holy man: suspended by a hook and two spikes inserted through the muscles of his back. Gouache painting by an Indian artist.
Reference: 566952i