NORTHEAST INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A black stone stele of Vishnu
Northeast India, Pala period, 12th century
Vishnu standing on a double-lotus base supported by Garuda and holding the mace, chakra, conch, and lotus in his four hands, adorned with a festooned belt with the chest centered by a srivatsa, the face with serene expression surmounted by a conical headdress, flanked by Lakshmi on the left and Saraswati on the right, all backed by an aureole with rampant leogryphs and apsaras surmounted by a kirttimukha
29½ in. (74.9 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, Germany, since 1925

Brought to you by

Hugo Weihe

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Lot Essay

The present example is unusual in that there are ten roundels depicting the ten avatars of Vishnu in the aureole above. Starting at lower left and moving clockwise, they are Matsya killing the demon, Kurma the turtle in the story of the Samudra Manthan, Varaha the boar raising up the world from the ocean, Narasimha killing the tyrant Hiranyakashipu, Vamana the dwarf, Parashurama with an axe, Rama with his bow, Krishna, Buddha and finally Kalki on his steed.

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