Vishnu
late 4th-5th century
Maker Unknown
Asian Art
Like the other early sculpture of Vishnu displayed here, this fragmentary figure once had four arms: two in front, holding a lotus seed and a conch shell, and two in back (now missing). The soft but athletic physique of the god is typical of Indian representations of divine males. The distinctive red sandstone was a favorite sculpting material in northern and central India for centuries; here, we can see the natural strata of the stone, made more visible by years of weathering.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Sandstone
- Medium
- sandstone
- Locations
- Possible place made: Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Period
- Gupta Period
- Dimensions
- 27 x 16 1/2 in. (68.6 x 41.9 cm) base: 4 in. (10.2 cm) mount: 27 1/2 × 16 1/2 × 6 in. (69.9 × 41.9 × 15.2 cm)
- Departments
- Asian Art
- Accession Number
- 81.203
- Credit Line
- Gift of Amy and Robert L. Poster and anonymous donors
- Exhibitions
- Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- Asian Galleries, Arts of South Asia, 2nd floor
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