Plaque with Vishnu

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-)

Plaque with Vishnu

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c. 600s

Accession Number

1973.75

Medium

gold repoussé

Dimensions

Overall: 7.6 x 4.5 cm (3 x 1 3/4 in.)

Classification

Metalwork

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund