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Four-Armed God Vishnu

A work made of sandstone.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of sandstone.

Date:

c. 5th century

Artist:

India
Uttar Pradesh, possibly Allahabad region

About this artwork

One of the principal gods of Hinduism, Vishnu is regarded as the preserver of the universe. He stands regally in this sculpture from the Gupta period, wearing a simple crown and a long garland. Originally four-armed, he would have held weapons—a mace, conch, and discus—in three hands. This early image includes a round object, variously interpreted as the earth or a fruit, in his lowered fourth hand. In later images of Vishnu, this hand typically holds a lotus.

Status

On View, Gallery 141

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Four-Armed God Vishnu

Place

Uttar Pradesh (Object made in:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

401 CE–500 CE

Medium

Sandstone

Dimensions

84.8 × 44.2 × 16.6 cm (33 3/8 × 17 3/8 × 6 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Gift of Marilynn Alsdorf

Reference Number

2021.242

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/148363/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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