Untitled

Unknown

11th–12th century · Black stone · Asian Art

In this extremely large sculpture, the Hindu god Vishnu is attended by his two consorts: to his left, Sarasvati, the goddess of poetry and music; to his right, Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. The architectural ensemble in which they stand is inhabited by a series of gods, demigods, ascetics, and worshipers. Two river goddesses stand at the base of the columns. Beyond them, at the outer edges in niches, are figures representing the weapons of Vishnu in human form: Gadadevi (his mace) and Chakrapurusha (his war discus). Ganesha occupies the niche at the top left corner; Karttikeya occupies the corresponding spot on the right. The two inner niches house Shiva (left) and Brahma (right).

Artist

Unknown

Date

11th–12th century

Medium

Black stone

Culture

India (Bihar or West Bengal) or Bangladesh

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956