Vishnu with Shri and Bhu (900–950): Art, History and Details

Vishnu with Shri and Bhu (900–950) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Vishnu is shown here in his form as supreme lord, his high crown indicative of his royal aspect; his four arms reveal his superhuman nature. His upper right hand holds a discus, seen from the side. In his upper left hand he holds the conch shell. Vishnu's wives, Shri, the goddess of abundance and good fortune, and Bhu, the earth goddess, hold lotus flowers.

Object facts

• Title: Vishnu with Shri and Bhu
• Date: 900–950
• Culture: South India, Tamil Nadu, probably Pudokkatai, early Chola Dynasty, 10th Century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: granite
• Dimensions: 138.4 x 41.9 cm (54 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.); 129.5 x 38.1 cm (51 x 15 in.); 175.9 x 61.6 cm (69 1/4 x 24 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1963.104

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.

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.