The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu

Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu

700–800s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

In his two left hands, he hold the conch and discus.

Description

The Hindu god Vishnu took the form of a boar to rescue his wife Bhu (Earth in Sanskrit) from the bottom of the primordial ocean, where she had been hidden by a demon. Here shown with the head of a boar and the powerful lunging body of a warrior, Varaha holds out one of his four elbows as a seat for the earth goddess, whom he has rescued.
  • (Adrian Maynard Oriental Art, London, UK, sold to John and Maxeen Flower)
    ?-2011
    Dr. John and Maxeen Stone Flower [1928-2010], Shaker Heights, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2011-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • “Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2010-2011.” Archives of Asian Art, vol. 62, 2012, pp. 105–153. Reproduced: p. 121, fig. 18 43677806
  • {{cite web|title=Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu|url=false|author=|year=700–800s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.148