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Head of Vishnu
Head of Vishnu

Head of Vishnu

CultureIndian
Datemid-5th century C.E.
MediumRed sandstone
DimensionsOverall: 24 1/2 × 14 × 13 inches (62.23 × 35.56 × 33.02 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number62-26
On View
On view
Collections
Exhibition History
No additional exhibition history known at this time.
Gallery Label
Hindu images as well as Buddhist were manufactured in Mathura. This large head belonged to a colossal figure of Vishnu, one of the greatest gods of the Hindu religion, the preserver of the universe. He wears an elaborate crown decorated with a jewel embedded in foliage. At the front of the crown, a monster discharges a jeweled pendant. Vishnu’s oval face is fully fleshed out with smooth cheeks and a rounded chin. His eyes are almond shaped and partly closed. These facial characteristics are typical of Gupta art.
Provenance

With Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, by 1962;

Purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1962.

Published References

The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, “Checklist of Acquisitions 1962-1966,” The Nelson Gallery & Atkins Bulletin, 4, no. 8 (1967): 46-47, fig. 19, (repro.).  

Ross E. Taggart and George L. McKenna, eds., Handbook of the Collections in The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, vol. 2, Art of the Orient, 5th ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1973), 122, (repro.).

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 378, (repro.).

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 261, fig. 12, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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