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Vishnu

11th century

India, Tamil Nadu

Copper alloy

H. 7 1/4 x W. 5 1/8 x D. 2 5/16 in. (18.5 x 13 x 6 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Gift from The Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, 1994.3

Provenance

John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY; acquired from J. J. Klejman, New York, NY, 1967,

The Asia Society, New York, NY, bequest of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, New York, NY, 1994.

Licensing inquiries

The Hindu god Vishnu, known as the preserver and keeper of the order of the cosmos, is shown striding in this unusual representation. He has sixteen arms which once held a variety of objects symbolizing his many capabilities. Vishnu's characteristic warrior attributes can still be clearly recognized: a wheel and a conch shell are held in his upper hands and a lotus and a club in his extended lower hands. The small size of this image suggests that it was made for private devotion.