Central India, circa 11th century

This rare representation of Vishnu gives form to the deity’s supreme manifestation, Para-Vasudeva or Vaikuntha, in which his two avatars, Varaha the boar and Narasimha the lion, are depicted on either side of his central human face. This form of Vishnu is mentioned in the Vishnudharmottara Purana, an encyclopedic text for Vaishanavas. Carved out of a single piece of stone, the artist masterfully used the two-toned stone to distinguish the faces from the lotus backing, creating exceptional dimensionality.