Vishnu and consorts
Figure Shrine
19th century (made)
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
A complete shrine, cast in five pieces- figures, base and arch. Vishnu stands straight in his usual samabhanga pose, holding a conch and chakra in his upper hands, his lower right hand in varada mudra and the lower left hand held outwards in the katyavambita gesture. He is flanked by two slightly smaller standing figures in tribhanga pose of the usual consorts associated with him in South India, Sridevi holding a pink lotus bud (padma) and wearing a breast band to his right and Bhudevi (the Earth goddess) with a blue lotus flower head with upright closed petals to his left. The base has lotus petals incised on the lowest tier and simple incised panels on its front. The cusped arch is topped by a kirtimukha mask and has a five-headed naga above Vishnu. The shrine has a copper colour and shows little wear.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Vishnu and consorts (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Bronze, casting |
Brief description | Vishnu and consorts shrine, bronze, South India, ca. 1855 |
Physical description | A complete shrine, cast in five pieces- figures, base and arch. Vishnu stands straight in his usual samabhanga pose, holding a conch and chakra in his upper hands, his lower right hand in varada mudra and the lower left hand held outwards in the katyavambita gesture. He is flanked by two slightly smaller standing figures in tribhanga pose of the usual consorts associated with him in South India, Sridevi holding a pink lotus bud (padma) and wearing a breast band to his right and Bhudevi (the Earth goddess) with a blue lotus flower head with upright closed petals to his left. The base has lotus petals incised on the lowest tier and simple incised panels on its front. The cusped arch is topped by a kirtimukha mask and has a five-headed naga above Vishnu. The shrine has a copper colour and shows little wear. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Transferred from the India Museum 1879 |
Object history | Transferred from the India Museum in London to the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) in 1879. The India Museum Slip Book numbers ths object as 287 and records that it came from Cottoor, Madras and was acquired from the 1855 Universal Exhibition which took place in Paris. |
Production | Tamil Nadu, South India |
Subject depicted | |
Collection | |
Accession number | 543(IS) |
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Record created | July 31, 2003 |
Record URL |
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