Cleveland Museum of Art

Vishnu on Ananta, the Endless Serpent

Date

c. 1700

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Culture

Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Pahari Region, Rajput Kingdom of Chamba

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Before the creation of the world, the god Vishnu was asleep on the serpent Ananta, floating on the cosmic ocean. When the time came for him to create the world, Vishnu’s wife Lakshmi woke him gently by massaging his feet. Then, out of his navel emerged a lotus flower, and Vishnu gave birth to Brahma, the god of creation. As plants that grow in water, lotus flowers indicate the presence of the waters and their life-affirming capacity. In this painting they are boldly distributed over a deep brown background with basket-weave patterning. The artist has depicted Vishnu’s oceanic abode as a lotus pond.

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