Vishnu Stele, four-armed Vishnu with two of his attributes personified / Artist Unknown
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2003/1.385
- Title
- Vishnu Stele, four-armed Vishnu with two of his attributes personified
- Artist
- Artist Unknown
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- black schist
- Object Creation Date
- circa 10th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- West Bengal (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- West Bengal (state)
- Dimensions
- 129.4 cm x 60.96 cm x 28.58 cm (50 15/16 in. x 24 in. x 11 1/4 in.)
- Century
- 10th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- statue
- Secondary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Secondary Object Type
- architectural element
- Physical Description
- Vishnu stand in a strict unbending pose, samabhanga and has four hands. Reading clockwise from the front right hand, he holds lotus, a club, a discus and a conch. The lotus and conch are also personified with full standing figures at the base below his tow front hands, the lotus as a female figure to his right and the conch as a male figure to his left. On the pointed arch behind the figure a flying figure holding garlands is carved in shallow relief to either side of his crown. He wears a diaphanous lower cloth, the folds of the garment are articulated with a flared section down the center. He wears a long garland down to his knees, a sacred thread and various pieces of jewelry, including bracelets, armlets, a necklace and large earrings and an elaborate crown.
- Subject Matter
- Buddhism flourished in northeast India under the Pala dynasty, but most of the Pala kings were followers of the Hindu god Vishnu, whose role as preserver and sustainer of the cosmos accorded well with ideals of royal duty. This impressive stele shows Vishnu in his form as universal king: he wears an elaborate crown and jewelry, and carries four weapons: the gada (a club or mace), the cakra (a discus), the shankha (a conch-like shell), and the padma (lotus).
- At his feet appear two figures who are personifications of the two attributes (anthropomorphic representations of his signature weapons). The female is Padmadevi, a goddess who is the personification of the pure lotus, and the male is Shankapurusha, a personification of the trumpetlike shell.
- The figure of Vishnu has an idealized youthful body, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and an expression of perfect serenity.
- 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. Sometimes, as in this case, two of his attributes are personified at the base. Gender of the weapon reflects the gender of the personified figure.
- Secondary Keywords
- associated concepts
- hindu
- named gods and goddesses
- people and culture
- religion
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- subject matter
- 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
- 977 x 1938
- File Size
- 252 KB
- Record
- 2003/1.385
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2003-sl-1.385/2003_1.385.jpg
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Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2003-SL-1.385:2003_1.385.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Vishnu Stele, four-armed Vishnu with two of his attributes personified; Artist Unknown." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2003-sl-1.385/2003_1.385.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2024.