Vishnu the Preserver is most often portrayed holding the militant attributes that symbolize his protective role. Here he holds a chakra (war discus) in his upper right hand and a shankha (conch battle trumpet) in his upper left. His lower left hand makes the gesture of resting on a gada (mace), while his lower right hand is held in abhayamudra (the gesture that allays fear). The upright prongs at either side of the pedestal originally supported a halo.
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Title:Standing Vishnu
Period:Chola period (880–1279)
Date:ca. third quarter of the 10th century
Culture:India (Tamil Nadu)
Medium:Copper alloy
Dimensions:H. 33 3/4 in. (85.7 cm)
Classification:Metalwork
Credit Line:Purchase, John D. Rockefeller 3rd Gift, 1962
Object Number:62.265
[ John J. Klejman , New York, by 1962; sold to MMA]
Kansas City. William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art. "Master Bronzes of India," 1965.
New York. Asia House Gallery. "Master Bronzes of India," October 12, 1966–December 11, 1966.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries," November 14, 1970–June 1, 1971.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of the Art of India from The Museum's Collections," January 18–May 31, 1973.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Bronze Sculptures from Asia," February 25, 1975–March 21, 1976.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Encountering Vishnu: The Lion Avatar in Indian Temple Drama," December 19, 2015–June 5, 2016.
"Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums." Archives of the Chinese Art Society in America. Vol. 17, University of Hawaii Press (for Asia Society), 1963, p. 50, fig. 27.
Lerman, Leo. The Museum: One Hundred Years and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Viking Press, [1969], p. 354.
Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries. Exh. cat. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1970, p. 162, cat. no. 133.
Lippe, Aschwin. "Divine Images in Stone and Bronze: South India, Chola Dynasty (ca. 850–1280)" Metropolitan Museum Journal. Vol. 4, 1971, pp. 46–52, figs. 18–21.
Lerner, Martin. Bronze Sculptures from Asia. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, cat. no. 10, pl. 9.
Howard, Kathleen, ed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1983, p. 249, fig. 23.
Barnhart, Richard M. (Introduction). The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Asia. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987, pp. 134–35, pl. 90.
Burn, Barbara, ed. Masterpieces of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993, p. 162.
Dehejia, Vidya. "Sculptures from Southern India." Orientations. Vol. 25, no. 3, March 1994, p. 45, fig. 3.
Howard, Kathleen, ed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. 2nd ed., New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994, p. 101, fig. 23.
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