Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back) (1600s or 1700s): Art, History and Details

Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back) (1600s or 1700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

A green Vishnu with four arms, each holding his attributes of discus (his upper right hand), mace (upper left), lotus (lower right), and conch (in pearl, lower left) rides on a coral Garuda with lapis wings, arms outstretched. The blue figures on either side are probably celestial beings praising him in dance postures, with one leg crossed over the other. On the back sides, delicate filigree floral scrolls form the backdrop of a protective mask popular in the Nepal; a sun over a crescent moon are inlaid above his head.

Object facts

• Title: Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back)
• Date: 1600s or 1700s
• Culture: Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
• Type: Jewelry
• Technique: Gold set with precious and semi-precious stones
• Dimensions: Overall: 9.5 x 6.9 cm (3 3/4 x 2 11/16 in.)
• Collection: Nepalese Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1915.338

A detail from the museum

These larger-than-life earrings would hang on a deity statue in a Nepalese temple, rather than worn by a person.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.