Skip Navigation

Varaha Rescuing the Earth, page from an illustrated Dasavatara series

Asian Art

This painting of the Varaha story shares several common elements with the two adjacent examples, which offer different solutions to the question of how to depict a fantastic, multi-episode story on a single small page. All three represent the earth as a landmass (rather than a goddess), balanced on Varaha’s head, and all make reference to the battle with the demon Hayagriva, although they signal his defeat in different ways. One artist completely ignores the aquatic setting, while the other two tackle the challenge of depicting water and partially submerged figures.
CULTURE Indian
MEDIUM Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
DATES ca. 1730-1740
DIMENSIONS Sheet: 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (26.7 x 20.6 cm) Other (Image): 8 3/8 x 6 3/16 in. (21.3 x 15.7 cm) Other: 14 1/4 x 19 1/4in. (36.2 x 48.9cm)  (show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS Inscriptions: Takri caption on top red margin, in white pigment: Wondrous Vishnu, wondrous Varaha.
COLLECTIONS Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 41.1026
CREDIT LINE Brooklyn Museum Collection
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Indian. Varaha Rescuing the Earth, page from an illustrated Dasavatara series, ca. 1730-1740. Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper, Sheet: 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (26.7 x 20.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 41.1026 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 41.1026_bw_IMLS.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 41.1026_bw_IMLS.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions
This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.