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Earring with Four-Armed Vishnu Riding Garuda with Nagas (serpent divinities)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In Nepal, sculptures of deities were adorned with jewelry larger than pieces made for human beings. This pair of earrings features the Hindu god Vishnu seated cross-legged riding his mount the man-eagle Garuda. Garuda's arms are outstretched, grabbing the tails of serpents whose braided bodies snake up both sides of each earring. His wings drape like a cape behind him, and his talons clutch his crescent moon perch. Serpent hoods rise up behind Vishnu like a canopy.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineEarring with Four-Armed Vishnu Riding Garuda with Nagas (serpent divinities), 1600s or 1700s. Nepal, Kathmandu Valley. Repousse gold with pearls; overall: 3.7 cm (1 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade, 1915.346.2
