Four-Armed Vishnu (Vishnu Chaturhuja)

ca. late 8th century

Various forms of both Hinduism and Buddhism were carried from the Indian subcontinent to much of Southeast Asia along ocean trade routes, probably beginning early in the first millennium. In Southeast Asia, people selectively melded these religions with local beliefs and practices.

Its high, conical crown helps identify this sculpture as the hindu god Vishnu. Behind his shoulders, it is possible to see evidence of a second set of arms. The hands probably held four of the god’s identifying objects, including the chakra (disk), conch shell, and mace. For Vishnu’s followers, he is the ultimate deity, both omniscient and ever-present. He not only creates the world as we know it but also preserves, destroys, and re-creates it in an endless cycle. As early as the 5th century, rulers in parts of Southeast Asia considered Vishnu the divine king and began to identify themselves with him to augment their power and prestige.

Sandstone

20 3/4 x 7 1/4 x 3 in. (52.71 x 18.42 x 7.62 cm)

Overall h.: 24 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

50.116

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySan Francisco, California, San Francisco Museum of Art, "Art in Asia and the West," 1957

Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene
Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", 1965

Tacoma, Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, "Southeast Asian Art," 1969

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published References"Handbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1951, p. 41 (b&w)

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