Cleveland Museum of Art

Pendant with Four-armed Green Vishnu on a lotus with Nagas

Date

1600s or 1700s

Medium

Gold set with precious and semiprecious stones

Culture

Nepal, Kathmandu Valley

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Vishnu, made of emeralds, holds his typical emblems, each made of gold: a discus in his upper right hand, the club in his upper left, and a lotus in his lower right hand. He sits cross-legged on a lotus pedestal made of spinels, nestled on the back of his mount, Garuda, shown with a crystal face, spinel torso, and turquoise wings. The intertwined bodies of nagas (serpent deities) form the bottom of this pendant; each naga holds a pearl in offering; their faces are carved from lapis lazuli. An eleven-headed serpent hood rears over the entire ensemble. In Nepal and South India, the Hindu god Vishnu can be shown as either blue or green.

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