Head of Vishnu
400s CE
- Medium
- sandstone
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- Overall: 28 cm (11 in.)
- Culture
- Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Edward L. Whittemore Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
During this period in India, the Hindu god Vishnu wears a distinctive squarish crown with a central medallion featuring a lion head. With strings of pearls issuing from his mouth, the imagery conveys the idea of radiance and glory. Devotees recognized Vishnu as having solar and royal attributes. His coiled ringlets of hair and heavy earrings also indicate that he was meant to have the appearance of a royal warrior.
