Description
Images made in India during the Gupta period (AD 300s to 600s) were influential in shaping the early development of Buddhist and Hindu art in Southeast Asia. This gold token depicts the Hindu god Vishnu, identified by the flat-topped crown, his four arms, and attributes: wheel, conch shell, club, and clod of earth. Noteworthy for its naturalism is the foreshortening of his right foot. Such precious gold objects were made to be secreted under a sacred stone icon in Thailand or Cambodia to infuse the temple with wealth and glory.
Provenance
(Peter Marks, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1973); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1973-)
Accession Number
1973.75
Medium
gold repoussé
Dimensions
Overall: 7.6 x 4.5 cm (3 x 1 3/4 in.)
Classification
Metalwork
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund