Vishnu with Personified Attributes
c. 9th century or earlier
Asia: India, Madhya Pradesh
Not on View

In this sculpture, the Hindu god Vishnu stands upright, gripping two figures beneath him as if they were inanimate objects. They are, in fact, the animate or personified forms of two of his attributes, the club, on his right, and the wheel (chakra), on his left. Images of Vishnu typically depict him with four arms, holding his attributes: the club, wheel, conch and lotus flower. The club is a symbol of Vishnu’s divine power, and the wheel, a symbol of the sun. The conch symbolizes primordial sound, and the lotus, purity and perfection.

Details

  • Title: Vishnu with Personified Attributes
  • Date: c. 9th century or earlier
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: 66 x 27 in. (167.6 x 68.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
  • Accession Number: F.1975.15.5.S
  • Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation

Object Information

  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 91 pp. 132-133
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1186 p. 380

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