Cleveland Museum of Art

Plaque with Vishnu

Date

c. 600s

Medium

gold repoussé

Culture

Thailand, Sri Deb Style, Mon-Dvaravati period, c. 7th-8th Century

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Images made in India during the Gupta period (AD 300s to 600s) were influential in shaping the early development of Buddhist and Hindu art in Southeast Asia. This gold token depicts the Hindu god Vishnu, identified by the flat-topped crown, his four arms, and attributes: wheel, conch shell, club, and clod of earth. Noteworthy for its naturalism is the foreshortening of his right foot. Such precious gold objects were made to be secreted under a sacred stone icon in Thailand or Cambodia to infuse the temple with wealth and glory.

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