Medium: Brass, silver, gemstone
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:12th century
Dimensions: 10 1/2 x 5 1/8 x 3 3/8 in. (26.7 x 13 x 8.6 cm)
Collections:
Accession Number: 2021.1.4
Image: CUR.2021.1.4_view01.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Image of the Hindu god Vishnu flanked by his consorts, standing on stepped base and backed by an elaborate halo. The female consorts are roughly half the size of Vishnu. All have silver inlay in their eyes and select elements of their jewelry. Vishnu holds a lotus and mace in his upper hands, the conch and chakra in his lower hands. Behind Vishnu's head is a halo of floral or flaming elements with a large, irregularly shaped pink gemstone -- possibly a spinel or ruby -- attached above his crown. This may have been a later addition, posibly added in Nepal, as the addition of gemstones on Indian images of this era was unusual. An arched aureole backs all three figures, edged by flames with a finial at the top. Each stands on a lotus base on an architectural base. Image is not as finely modeled or cast as some bronzes of the Pala period, suggesting that it may have been of provincial or non-royal production.