Untitled

Unknown

1886 · Chromolithographic print on paper · Asian Art

This print depicts Vishnu Narayana— the primordial god who resides in water (nara)—stirring from his slumber on the cosmic ocean supported by the divine serpent Shesha, a celebrated moment that marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of a new age. Here Vishnu is accompanied by an assembly of gods, including his wife Lakshmi (left) and two divine devotees (right), a kneeling Garuda, and the ancient sage Narada, who is here likely modeled on the Vaishnava saint Tyagaraja (1767–1847), a celebrated devotee (bhakta) famed for the songs he composed in praise of Vishnu.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1886

Medium

Chromolithographic print on paper

Culture

India

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mark Baron and Elise Boisanté, 2012