ClassificationsAsian Art

Avatars of Vishnu: Vamana the Dwarf

Place CreatedIndia, Asia

Date1830s

Credit LineGift of Sally and Joe Gladden in honor of Drs. Joyce Flueckiger and Sara McClintock, 2016 Woolford B. Baker Service Award recipients

Dimensions9 1/4 x 12 5/8 in. (23.5 x 32 cm)

Object number2016.007.001

Label TextUnlike typical portrayals of Vamana, here the fifth avatar of Vishnu is not depicted as a dwarf. Instead, the blue-skinned deity appears twice in the painting, once as a sage seated in the upper left corner of the painting and again as a four-armed giant at the center of the painting.

To dethrone the arrogant demon-king Bali and return control of the universe to the gods, Vamana disguises himself as a priestly sage and attends a horse sacrifice Bali has commissioned for the prosperity of his kingdom. In the upper left, Bali and his attendants welcome the sage to the sacrifice with a foot-washing, collecting the blessed water in a golden pot. Bali then offers to Vamana the amount of land the sage can traverse in three steps. At the center of the painting, Vamana accepts this offer and expands into his giant form – Trivikrama, the “god of three strides”. With his first step he covers the whole earth; with his second, the heavens. Bali, realizing his defeat, offers his head for the final step and touches Trivikrama’s foot in submission while his subjects worship the god with music and deities celebrate in the sky.
Exhibition HistoryThe Avatars of Vishnu, Michael C. Carlos Museum, April 24 - July 18, 2021
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, August 28, 2021 - Present

ProvenanceEx coll. Evelyn and Peter Kraus, New York, New York. Purchased by MCCM from Bonhams London, April 19, 2016, lot 283.

Status

On view

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