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5. Vishnu Bangladesh, Gupta 5th - 6th c. terracotta height 78 cm. |
From early times the icon of Vishnu (identified by his four attributes) has expressed the desire for a divine delivery amidst the evils and miseries of life. Literature portrays Vishnu as eternal, an all-pervading spirit, and associated with the omnipresent primeval waters that preceded the creation of the universe. Through his ten incarnations Vishnu became the prominent second god of the Trimurti, the Hindu triad . He is seen as a preserver of the universe, while Brahma and Shiva are regarded respectively as the creator and destroyer of the universe. It was believed that man attained salvation by faithfully following predetermined paths of duty, and that powers of good and evil (gods and demons) are in contention for dominion of the world. When one of these powers threatens to prevail, Vishnu or his avatar descends to earth, to equalize them and restore the universal balance. Vishnu is standing in an upright posture on a rectangular throne. His four arms symbolize his fulfillment of manifestations in all forms of live. They represent the four directions of space, the four stages of human development, and the four aims of life; pleasure, success, righteousness, and liberation. The god’s raised left hand is holding a sankha, the symbol of the origin of the five cosmic elements; with this conch shell he raises a deafening noise to terrify the enemy and to marshal his own forces. The gada or mace symbolizes the power of the knowledge, this long club is carried by the god in his lower right hand as a weapon of attack. The cakra depicted in his lower left hand, is the symbol of the mind, a circular discus which Vishnu hurled at his enemies to destroy them. His raised right hand holds a lotus. Adorned with a crown, flowers in the ears, a large pearl necklace, bracelets, a knotted girdle, and ornaments, Vishnu wears a fine asymmetrical sampot. A circular nimbus frames his head. In the fourth century, following the rise of Gupta rulers who extended their control over northern and central India as well as Bangladesh, the full flowering of classical Indian civilization took place. Among the recent finds recovered by the Calcutta University Mission is an ancient site at Tamralipta. The interesting terracottas discovered here reveal that the ancient port of Tamralipta was once a center of great cultural activity. Gupta sculptors succeeded in harmonizing the concepts of physical and spiritual well being in images which served as models for the whole of Hindu and Buddhist Asia. These qualities are represented in the present sculpture of Vishnu. It bears all the classic stylistic characteristics, comprising the full face with pronounced lips and open eyes, powerful pronounced modelling, natural volume and balance, with the shape of the body evident beneath the cloth. Gupta art is considered the highlight of Indian civilization, and Gupta artists were renowned for depicting their gods with great skill and lively expression. The present sculpture of Vishnu is among the rare large terra cotta examples in good original condition to have survived from this classical period in art history. His sturdy upright posture and frozen stance contrast beautifully with innate vitality of his limbs. Noteworthy are the pure volumes and the focused shape with decoration being limited though well pronounced, It enhances his energetic expression and renders the iconographic meaning as the divine protector. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00000845. P. Chandra, Stone Sculpture in the Allahabad Museum, American Institute of Indian Studies, Bombay, 1966, pl. 196 and pl. 198. India, Standing Vishnu, Unchdih, Allahabad District, early 5th century AD, height 60 cm and Krishna, Kara, Allahabad District, late 5th century AD, height 43 cm. M. Lerner and S. Kossak, The Lotus Transcendent. Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991, p. 96, pl. 64. India, Uttar Pradesh, Standing Vishnu, Gupta, period, 5th century, height 26 cm. R. Russek, Hinduismus, Bilderkanon und Deutung , Battenberg Verlag, München, 1986, p. 102, pl. 107. Nordindischer Indra, Gupta, 5th Jhr, height 97 cm. |