CLASSICAL INDIAN ART | LIVE AUCTION, MUMBAI (09 MARCH 2017)

138-139 / 176

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MAJESTIC VISHNU
TAMIL NADU, CIRCA 12 TH CENTURY
Granite
87 in (221 cm) high
Rs 2,00,00,000 ‒ 3,00,00,000
$ 298,510 - 447,765
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Mumbai
The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva gain the high
importance in the Hindu pantheon. “As the Preserv
Vishnu is responsible for maintaining balance, combati
the forces of chaos, and ensuring that heaven and ear
continue to progress on their preordained course... Vish
is first and foremost a saviour, sweeping down from
lofty abode to bring peace and balance to a beleaguer
earth.” (Joan Cummins ed., Vishnu: Hinduism’s Blue‒Skinn
Saviour, Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2011, pp. 12‒13
This majestic Vishnu stands with both feet firmly on t
ground, and his left arm resting lightly on his hip. In his t
upper hands, he holds his attributes, the shanka (conch),
sound being a symbol of creation, and the chakra (disc
the ultimate weapon with which he guards the univer
The crown on his head denotes kingship. Around his ne
is the celestial Vaijayanti mala, and the kaustubh adorns
chest. His expression is serene, befitting his stature.
Thismonumental Chola sculpture is hewn out of granite.
Tamil Nadu, as elsewhere, the underlying basis of scoopi
rocks, or carving relief sculptures, was that every sto
boulder or rock had cosmic vitalities running through
If these energies could be shaped into the forms of go
and goddesses, it was only to consecrate so much spa
recovered from the elements... Under the Cholas, the rel
sculptures are emphasised as emergent gods and goddess
and the almost three‒dimensional figure appears, in hig
skilled workmanship, comparable in its achievements,
the finest sculptures of the then contemporaries of t
Deccan.” (Mulk Raj Anand ed., Splendours of Tamil Na
Bombay: Marg Publications, 1980, p. 74)