Lakshmi Narayana
Brooklyn Museum photograph
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This complex image offers an unusually casual and affectionate depiction of a divine couple, the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. Much about this icon is typical of northern Indian temple sculpture: Intricately carved in soft red sandstone, it shows Vishnu and Lakshmi backed by a halo, set into an architectural niche, and surrounded by much smaller figures. This large cast of supporting characters includes other Hindu gods, servants of Vishnu, and all of Vishnu’s avatars, manifestations the god assumed when he came to earth to protect his followers.
The central couple, however, departs from convention. Most Hindu icons look straight out at the worshipper, ready to receive their prayers. In contrast, here Vishnu and Lakshmi look at each other. Lakshmi’s size is also unusual. In most depictions of Hinduism’s divine couples, the goddess is much smaller than the god or in a subservient posture. This image treats Lakshmi as Vishnu’s companion and equal, and as such celebrates a happy balance between masculine and feminine qualities.
Object Label
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.
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)
Tags
Collection
Collection
Title
Lakshmi Narayana
Date
10th century
Geography
Place made: Rajasthan, India
Medium
Sandstone
Classification
Dimensions
43 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 7 in. (110.5 x 57.2 x 17.8 cm)
Credit Line
Purchase gift of the Charles Bloom Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
86.191
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. 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). 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.
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