Vishnu
1 of 2
Object Label
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.
Caption
Vishnu, late 4th–5th century. Sandstone, 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). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Amy and Robert L. Poster and anonymous donors, 81.203. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 81.203_PS2.jpg)
Collection
Collection
Title
Vishnu
Date
late 4th–5th century
Period
Gupta Period
Geography
Possible place made: Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Medium
Sandstone
Classification
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)
Credit Line
Gift of Amy and Robert L. Poster and anonymous donors
Accession Number
81.203
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.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
