A PHYLLITE STONE STELE REPRESENTING VISHNU

Description:

Northwest India, Pala period, 12th cent.
H. 88 cm
Sculpted in high relief with Vishnu standing in samapada on a lotus base placed on a pedestal decorated with Garuda to its front flanked by worshippers, his four arms radiating around his body, the hands originally holding attributes, wearing dhoti, mala draped around his shoulders, bejewelled, his face damaged, flanked by Sri Devi holding fly-whisk and Sarasvati the lute and a pair of smaller figures and the backslab with several figures and animals, on wood base.
From the collection of the diplomat Dr. Willi Albert Ritter (1915 - 2000), collected in the diplomatic service until 1980 in Asia
Depictions of Vishnu from the Pala period (8th-12th century) represent a pinnacle of medieval Indian sculpture. As the preserver of cosmic order, Vishnu embodies stability and divine balance. Artists of the Pala dynasty developed a highly symmetrical and refined sculptural language in which spirituality and formal clarity converge. The stelae typically show Vishnu frontally, holding his four attributes - conch, discus, mace, and lotus - surrounded by attendant figures and celestial beings. Delicate carving and dense ornamentation lend these works both serenity and vitality. Such images served as cult icons in temples and monasteries, expressing devotion as well as royal legitimacy. They stand as enduring manifestations of a vision that translated divine order into stone - the final flowering of classical Indian sculpture before the transformations of the medieval era - Damages due to age, losses