A GILT-COPPER FIGURE OF STANDING VISHNU Nepal, 12th Century

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13089.

Acquired privately in the 1950s; thence by descent. 

Heavy accretion and oxidation overall. With traces of vermillion powder at forehead and nimbus. Slight bend at top of nimbus. Areas of verdigris at feet and base. Could benefit from a cleaning.
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Extant examples, with all limbs and attributes still attached such as the current work, are very rare. Physically oriented in an anterior posture, standing in equipoise with weight evenly distributed on both feet, or samabhanga, the current work was designed to be viewed and worshipped from the front. With its sensuous modeling and powerful build, this exceptionally fine work is a superb example of heroic Vishnu sculpture, and a testament to the renowned craft and artistry of Newari metalworkers in the medieval period. During the "Transitional" period (880–1200 CE), the Newari proclivity toward elaborate fire gilding and encrustation with semi-precious stones throughout was used to enhance the grandeur of form and divine proportion, further amplified by the later application of bright vermilion paste by worshippers.

Stylistically, Newari bronze casting followed the aesthetic and technical evolution of contemporaneous Gupta and Pala sculpture. However, facial features and physiognomy in bronze casting developed a distinctive expression in Newari ateliers–a slight widening in the eyes and face; the conjoined arc of the eyebrows and curvature of the nose; the grace and bulk in posturing; the prevalence of samabhanga figuration. For further discussion, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp. 300-303.

One third of the Brahmanic triad in the Hindu pantheon, Vishnu, the sustainer, is worshipped in many forms. Revered for his heroic actions in the epic volumes of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, he is known chiefly through his avatars Rama and Krishna. Generally represented as a handsome, voluptuous youth and dressed in royal accoutrements, Vishnu's two lower arms represent his involvement in the mundane sphere, while his two upper arms represent his involvement in the divine sphere. The mace in his upper left hand symbolizes primeval strength; the conch in his lower left hand symbolizes the "sound" of creation and the origination of the five elements; the flaming chakra in the upper right hand symbolizes the destruction of ego through the following of one's dharma; and the lotus bud in the lower right hand symbolizes spiritual perfection.

Compare the sensuous modelling of the body and facial features - the broad forehead, high cheekbones and fleshy cheeks, the gently downcast eyes, the serene smile and the rounded, sloping shoulders - with a 12th Century Nepalese bronze depicting Vasudhara; see Pratapaditya Pal, Art of Nepal, Berkeley, 1985, pl. S21.