Varaha Rescuing Bhu Devi
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Object Label
The Hindu god Vishnu is said to have descended from heaven several times in order to save mankind. When he descends he assumes special forms, called avatars. He once became a boar, named Varaha, and plunged to the bottom of the primordial ocean to retrieve the drowning earth.
This image of Varaha shows him with the earth (in the form of a goddess) seated on his shoulder. He has the head of a boar, but the four arms and superhuman body of the god Vishnu, and his raised foot suggests that he is stepping out of the ocean.
Caption
Varaha Rescuing Bhu Devi, ca. 14th–15th century. Bronze, 12 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 5 1/8 in. (32.4 x 19.7 x 13 cm) mount: 12 3/4 × 7 7/8 × 5 1/4 in. (32.4 × 20 × 13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Paul E. Manheim, 78.259.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.259.1_back_SL1.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Title
Varaha Rescuing Bhu Devi
Date
ca. 14th–15th century
Geography
Place made: Kerala, India
Medium
Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
12 3/4 x 7 3/4 x 5 1/8 in. (32.4 x 19.7 x 13 cm) mount: 12 3/4 × 7 7/8 × 5 1/4 in. (32.4 × 20 × 13.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Paul E. Manheim
Accession Number
78.259.1
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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