The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back)

Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back)

1600s or 1700s

Did You Know?

These larger-than-life earrings would hang on a deity statue in a Nepalese temple, rather than worn by a person.

Description

A green Vishnu with four arms, each holding his attributes of discus (his upper right hand), mace (upper left), lotus (lower right), and conch (in pearl, lower left) rides on a coral Garuda with lapis wings, arms outstretched. The blue figures on either side are probably celestial beings praising him in dance postures, with one leg crossed over the other. On the back sides, delicate filigree floral scrolls form the backdrop of a protective mask popular in the Nepal; a sun over a crescent moon are inlaid above his head.
  • ?–1915
    Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857–1926] and Mrs. Ellen Garretson Wade [1859–1917], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1915–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Artlens Exhibition 2019. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer).
    Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).
  • {{cite web|title=Pair of Deity Earrings with Vishnu on Garuda (front) and chepu (monster mask) (back)|url=false|author=|year=1600s or 1700s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1915.338