Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Tympanum Depicting Vishnu Anantasayin and the Birth of Brahma
Not on view
The theme of Vishnu sleeping on the cosmic ocean, supported by the coils of the world-serpent Ananta, was depicted in seventh-century temples in both Zhenla (cat. no. 75) and Champa. This tympanum was recovered at My Son, Vietnam, and is likely one of two referenced in the 658 inscription of the king Prakasadharm. This Cham version has several unique features that set it apart from its Khmer, and most of its Indian, counterparts. First, Vishnu has only two arms, not the standard four; the ascetic sage Bhrigu is represented at Vishnu’s feet; and, instead of celestial celebrants, Vishnu’s attendants are Garudas (mythical birds). The originality of this conception is unprecedented.
cat. no. 76
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