75 - RECLINING VISHNU BRONZE INDIA 18TH CENTURY

RECLINING VISHNU BRONZE INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 8,1 cm Wide 13,7 cm Depth 5,5 cm Weight: 623 grams A finely composed bronze group of Vishnu reclining upon the coils of the cosmic serpent Ananta, whose multiple cobra hoods rise protectively behind the god's head. Vishnu rests gracefully along the serpent couch, richly adorned and crowned, while a lotus emerging from his navel supports the small figure of Brahma. Lakshmi attends at his feet, completing the compact narrative ensemble. The subject, known as Anantashayana, represents Vishnu's cosmic sleep between cycles of creation. From the lotus at his navel Brahma emerges to bring forth the renewed universe, making the image at once one of repose and latent creative power. The caster has organised a complex theology into a remarkably small horizontal format. Incised serpent scales, jewellery and the layered figures enliven the surface, while the balanced arrangement retains a calm appropriate to Vishnu's timeless repose.