Indian. <em>Vishnu on Garuda</em>, ca. 1725 or earlier. Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, sheet: 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 in. (22.1 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.140 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.140_IMLS_PS4.jpg)

Indian. Vishnu on Garuda, ca. 1725 or earlier. Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, sheet: 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 in. (22.1 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.140 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.140_IMLS_PS4.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Why is the color blue particularly important for representing gods in Hindu art ? Why not yellow or green? Are other colors associated with something else? Cheers- Claudia from Germany.

Many Hindu gods are blue, including Vishnu in several of his forms. This is the color he has traditionally been described as in Hindu texts. Some scholars believe that the color is a reference to his home above the clouds. His blue skin could also reference a primordial ocean similarly linked textually to Vishnu, which existed before the gods are said to have created land and the creatures who live on it. Some of the other blue deities you see in Hinduism are actually earthly avatars of Vishnu, and are blue because they are part of the same god. However, this is not true of all blue Hindu gods.

Thanks a lot, this service is great!

Do you know of any other religions aside from Hinduism where a certain color is connected to certain gods?

In most polytheistic religions (and monotheistic religions, for that matter) there is a level of association between deities (or religious figures) and colors. Colors tend to carry a lot of symbolism throughout history. In Infinite Blue, there is a small section dedicated to Blue Gods of Egypt and several images of the Madonna wearing her characteristic blue mantle. On the third floor you can see more Egyptian gods in their associated colors. You can also see more images of the Madonna clothed in blue.

Thanks!

Vishnu on Garuda

Asian Art

The Hindu god Vishnu resides in a heavenly realm, but when humankind requires his help, he descends to earth to save the day, riding on the back of a part-man, part-eagle creature named Garuda. Although Vishnu’s blue color is not explained in Hindu scriptures, several Hindu pundits have suggested that his color reflects his home above the clouds. Vishnu is also closely associated with the primordial ocean that existed before the gods created land and living creatures.

CULTURE Indian

MEDIUM Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper

Place Made: Punjab Hills, India

DATES ca. 1725 or earlier

DIMENSIONS sheet: 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 in. (22.1 x 14.6 cm) image: 7 5/16 x 4 7/8 in. (18.6 x 12.4 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Asian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 86.227.140

CREDIT LINE Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Indian. Vishnu on Garuda, ca. 1725 or earlier. Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, sheet: 8 11/16 x 5 3/4 in. (22.1 x 14.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.140 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.140_IMLS_PS4.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 86.227.140_IMLS_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. 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). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. 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.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Why is the color blue particularly important for representing gods in Hindu art ? Why not yellow or green? Are other colors associated with something else? Cheers- Claudia from Germany.

Thanks a lot, this service is great!

Do you know of any other religions aside from Hinduism where a certain color is connected to certain gods?

Thanks!