Cleveland Museum of Art

Vishnu

Date

late 400s CE

Medium

sandstone

Culture

Central India, Gupta Period, 5th Century

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This sculpture of the Hindu god Vishnu once had four arms, indicating his superhuman power. The smooth contours of the body and placid expression betoken a new vision for images of divinities in South Asia, characterized by restrained elegance. The scarf tied loosely around his hips curves gracefully under its own weight, emphasizing his passive immobility, since it would come undone if he were to move. Strings of jewels spew from the mouth of the leonine face ( kirtimukha ) in the center of the crown: a mark of glory.

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