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Lakshmi Narayana

Asian Art

On View: Asian Galleries, Arts of South Asia, 2nd floor
When Vishnu is shown with one wife, the pair is usually called Lakshmi-Narayana: Lakshmi is the goddess of good fortune, and Narayana is another name for Vishnu. In most representations of divine couples, the goddess is much smaller than the god, but in this image Lakshmi is almost the same size as Vishnu. Their embrace, their exchange of gazes, and the synchronized sway of their bodies (a rare feature for Vishnu) all point to the happiness that can be achieved when male and female qualities meet in a balanced union.
MEDIUM Sandstone
  • Place Made: Rajasthan, India
  • DATES 10th century
    DIMENSIONS 43 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 7 in. (110.5 x 57.2 x 17.8 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 86.191
    CREDIT LINE Purchase gift of the Charles Bloom Foundation, Inc.
    PROVENANCE Prior to 1976, provenance not yet documented; by 1976, acquired by Christian Humann (Pan-Asian Collection) of New York, NY and Paris, France; 1981, purchased from the estate of Christian Humann by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth of New York, NY; 1986, purchased from Robert Hatfield Ellsworth by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Asian Galleries, Arts of South Asia, 2nd floor
    CAPTION Lakshmi Narayana, 10th century. Sandstone, 43 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 7 in. (110.5 x 57.2 x 17.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of the Charles Bloom Foundation, Inc., 86.191. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.191_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 86.191_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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     <em>Lakshmi Narayana</em>, 10th century. Sandstone, 43 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 7 in. (110.5 x 57.2 x 17.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of the Charles Bloom Foundation, Inc., 86.191. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.191_PS2.jpg)