Four-armed Vishnu / Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1977/2.49
- Title
- Four-armed Vishnu
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- bronze
- Object Creation Date
- 18th century - 19th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Rajasthan (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Rajasthan (state)
- Style/Group/Movement
- miniature folk bronze
- Dimensions
- 15.8 cm x 10.5 cm x 8.5 cm (6 1/4 in. x 4 1/8 in. x 3 3/8 in.)
- Century
- 18th-19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- figure
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- figure
- Physical Description
- Vishnu stands with his legs apart holding his four attributes in his hands. Reading in clockwise direction from his right front hand he holds: his club, discus, conch and lotus, here a rather flat object cupped in his palm. His back two arms are extremely short. The figure is encircled with a decorated arch with a line of beads and triangular shaped openings around them. A stylized sun and moon are to either side of Vishnu’s head. He wears a variety of simple, lumpy jewelry at his feet are a horse to his right and a bull or cow to his left and between them are three rings lying flat on the base. At the front of the base are seven stylized horses, identifying this as a combination figure: Vishnu and the sun god Surya, whose chariot is pulled by seven horses.
- Subject Matter
- Vishnu is one of the principal gods of Hinduism, along with Shiva and the goddess, and commands a large following. He is often depicted with four arms and consistently carries four attributes: the discus, conch, club and lotus. The addition of the seven horses at the base lets us know that this is a combination of the god Vishnu and the sun god Surya. This is a common combination in iconographies that try to link many of the older nature gods with the fully developed pantheon of Hinduism.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- associated concepts
- combination inorganic/organic animal material
- combination inorganic/organic material
- descriptors
- design elements
- hindu
- mammals
- materials
- materials by composition
- motifs
- named gods and goddesses
- natural element motifs
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by state or condition
- percussive weapons
- plant-derived motifs
- recreational artifacts
- recreational artifacts for competitive activities
- religion
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- shell (animal material)
- shell and shell material
- sports and athletic equipment
- subject matter
- track and field sports equipment
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 909 x 1289
- File Size
- 142 KB
- Record
- 1977/2.49
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1977-sl-2.49/1977_2.49.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1977-SL-2.49:1977_2.49.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Four-armed Vishnu; Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1977-sl-2.49/1977_2.49.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.