Vishnu Riding on Garuda (300s CE): Art, History and Details

Vishnu Riding on Garuda (300s CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

In a rare and powerful work from this period, Vishnu straddles his vehicle, the man-eagle called Garuda, here shown with a human head, wings outstretched, and tail feathers expanding like rays of light behind the head of the god. Garuda is the enemy of serpents, and a subjugated serpent is tied around his neck. His determined expression lends confidence that he will do anything in his power to support Vishnu in his accomplishments. Tiny worshippers kneel in veneration before the imposing figures. Each of Vishnu's hands holds an implement: discus, mace, conch, and citron fruit. On his chest is an auspicious symbol called the shrivatsa, or "child" (vatsa) of Shri, the goddess of good fortune and a wife of Vishnu.

Object facts

• Title: Vishnu Riding on Garuda
• Date: 300s CE
• Culture: Eastern India, Bihar
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: schist
• Dimensions: Overall: 81.3 x 47 cm (32 x 18 1/2 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1961.46

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 48, no. 9, 1961, pp. 219–251.
• "Annual Report for 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 49, no. 6, 1962, pp. 115–145.
• Marcus, Margaret F. “Sculptures from Bihar and Bengal.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 54, no. 8, 1967, pp. 240–262.

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.