Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • Collection
  • Collection Research
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Watch / Listen / Read

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum
Previous image 1 2 / 2 Next image

Unknown Maker, Indian

Vishnu as Rama
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Indian

Culture

Indian

Title

Vishnu as Rama

Period

Pala Period

Year

ca. 1100

Medium

  • Black stone

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Black stone

Materials

stone

Geography

Origin: India; Origin: Bengal

Dimensions

82 x 48.5 x 18 cm (32 5/16 x 19 1/8 x 7 1/16 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Sofro Family

Object Number

63.060

Type

  • Sculpture

Publications

  • Books

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries
Jun 10, 2014

Label copy

This relief fragment was created to adorn a niche in the walls of a Hindu temple. The fine-grained stone, typical of the Bengali region, allowed for the carving of ornate details and precise lines. The god Vishnu is depicted with lavish jewelry and an elaborate hairstyle, the “sacred thread” falling from his left shoulder to right waist, all reminiscent of Indian royalty and the upper castes. The chakra, or wheel, symbolizes the cycle of creation and destruction; Vishnu maintains balance in the universe. He is accompanied by Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune, with a flywhisk in hand, and the river goddess Sarasvati, with a vina, a musical instrument.

Rockefeller Asian Art Gallery

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Indian
Vishnu as Rama, ca. 1100
Black stone
82 x 48.5 x 18 cm (32 5/16 x 19 1/8 x 7 1/16 inches)
Gift of the Sofro Family 63.060

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Main Navigation

  • Visit

    • Hours & Admission
    • Accessibility & Amenities
    • Tours & Group Visits
    • Visitor Guidelines
  • Art & Design

    • Collection Research
    • Collection
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Join / Give

    • Become a Member
    • Give
  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Events
  • Watch / Listen / Read

    • The Latest
    • Publications
    • Articles
    • Audio & Video

Footer Secondary Navigation

  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use
Tickets
Homepage
Go to the risd.edu homepage. This link will open in a new window.