A FINE BUFF SANDSTONE STELE DEPICTING VISHNU Central-India, Uttar Pradesh, ca. 9th/ 10th c. H. 91,4 cm Standing in samabhanga on a lotus base placed on the shaped plinth, his principle hands showing varadamudra and holding the shankha, both secondary ones with gada and cakra, wearing dhoti fastened around the waist with a belt, a garland draped around his shoulders encircling his arms to continue around his knees and up again along his arms, upavita across his chest, bejewelled, his face displaying a serene expression with almond-shaped eyes below arched eyebrows, elongated earlobes with ornaments, his head topped with the kiritamakuta, floral head-halo behind, the upper register with several apsaras extending garlands with below Umamaheshvara respectively the three-headed Brahma with consort, the lower section with the standing Sri Devi holding fly-whisk flanked by Pinggala with a pencil and to the other side of Vishnu is Danda supporting a pot flanked by an attendant and a pair of kneeling worshippers flanking the lotus base. From an old European private collection, bought at Sotheby's New York, 19.9. 1996, Lot 105 from a private Connecticut collection Partly chipped