Vishnu, Lord of the universe, is a Hindu God known to have reincarnated into more than one form called Avatars. In other words, he is recognizable through the faces of other gods who receive praise within the Hindu beliefs. Here we have sculptures of Vishnu and a few of his forms ranging 8th-19th century. Each piece stands balanced and symmetrical due to the accuracy of capturing his common stance which is known to be standing straight up. You will notice his form as lord Vishnu, with four hands, each one holding a symbolic object. He wears other types of decorative necklaces that are worn throughout his body, each one carrying wisdom and meaning. Vishnu's image and his avatars are highly detailed as each visual capturing of the God are identical but yet different to one another. Without missing any features or parts of the deities, worshipers get the full enlightenment from what Lord Vishnu and his Avatar's stand for.
Ten Incarnations, 1926/1927, From the collection of: Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
Here are the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, each one known as an avatar, Matsya (the fish), kurma (the tortoise), Varaha (the boar), Narasimha (the human-lion), Vamana (, Parashurama, Rama (the angry man with a bow), Krishna (the divine statesmen) and Kalki ( the mighty warrior). Each deity carved out of ivory and placed on a wooden panel with even space between each one
Sandstone stele depicting Matsya, 800/999, From the collection of: British Museum
Here we have a sandstone carving of Matsya, the avatar of Vishnu. The patterns are fine and detail allowing the fish from to appear as if it is in water. When you look closely it is, in fact, people surrounding behind Matsya. In order to see the depth of the carvings, you will notice the areas where the light is absent.
Vishnu and his avatars, Unknown, 11th century, From the collection of: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Here is a sculpture of Vishnu showing his supreme presence not only through his symmetrical placement but also in his size. Around Vishnu, he is surrounded by his avatars who are smaller but yet contains an equal amount of detail.
Vishnu, Unknown, 400/500, From the collection of: National Museum - New Delhi
Here is a Sculpture of Lord Vishnu showing the importance of his jewelry. each object that is worn by Vishnu and even his avatars, all have symbolic meaning that is recognised throughout the Hindu culture. Normally you would see Lord Vishnu with four hands each one holding meaningful symbols . Despite the loss of arms in the sculpture, his identity still remains clear.
Here is a sculpture of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi. The two are once again symmetrically placed in the center large enough to see who The two are from a distance. Lakshmi is A goddess of wealth, who later becomes Rama's (Vishnu's avatar) wife. Surrounded by the two may be Vishnu's avatars yet again created with precise detail.
Vishnu Vaikuntha, Unknown, 900 AD - 1000 AD, From the collection of: National Museum - New Delhi
This is a Bronze sculpture of Vishnu with more than one face on each side. Vishnu is placed in the center once again to show the power behind his image and also through his size amongst the other characters involved in the sculpture. Vishnu's hands are placed on top of the two characters showing his gentleness, importance, and his grace. You see in this sculpture only two hands instead of four. His jewelry is defined in order for one to tell what it is and what they mean.
Vishnu, Unknown Artist, Late 9th century, From the collection of: Birmingham Museum of Art
This sculpture of Lord Vishnu is very detailed when it comes to the design within the sculpture. The Vishnu here is large and symmetrically placed. He is not standing on any surface or as close to the ground as much as the other characters involved. You see everyone is wearing beaded necklaces which usually has a significant meaning. You can also Recognise Vishnu by his large crown and the way it is decorated.
Standing Vishnu, Unknown, 9th-10th century, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
This Vishnu sculpture shows all the symbols that he represents throughout the Hindu culture. He has all four arms each holding and object that has deep significance. He has his crown with th circle around and behind it, both of his beaded necklaces, bracelets and earings and you notice his earloabs are long like the buddha.
Sculpted panel depicting Vishnu Trivikrama, 900/999, From the collection of: British Museum
This sculpture tells the story of when Vishnu turned into the form of the dwarf as he came to earth to stop the demon king from his destruction. The casting of the shadow brings out Lord Vishnu giving the piece a wonderful three-dimensional perspective. You see three arms on Vishnu but the fourth one may be on his other side.
Standing Vishnu, 875-925, From the collection of: Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
The Lord Vishnu here dates back to 875-925. You can see the sculpture has lost its plushed detail but you can still notice his crown, beads, and earings. You see Three arms instead of four due to its age and quality of the stone used for the sculpting. Vishnu is centered and symetrical once agian showing his recognisable stance.
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