The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Personification of the Discus

670

Northeastern India, Bihar, Aphsad, early Pala period, 7th Century

chlorite
Overall: 81.3 cm (32 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1945.367
Location: 243 Indian and Southeast Asian

Description

Vishnu's main weapon is the discus, or chakra in Sanskrit. Vishnu's chakra is a wheel that is a metaphor for true knowledge, which he uses in mythic battles to slice demons who stand for ignorance and self-centered arrogance. Iconic images of Vishnu show him as four-armed, with a discus in one hand; sometimes the discus is personified. This personification, with the chakra behind his head, has broken away from the main image of Vishnu. Stylistically this sculpture retains memories of the Gupta styles, with the lush ringlets of hair curling from a central part, the relatively simple adornments, and the soft contours of the body. The exaggerated facial expression and figural proportions indicate a transition to a later period.
  • ?-1945
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1945-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard. "The Angel of the Discus." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 33, no. 9 (November 1946): 164-165. Reproduced: front cover; Mentioned: p. 164 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 750 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 232 archive.org
    Marcus, Margaret F. “Sculptures from Bihar and Bengal.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 54, no. 8, 1967, pp. 240–262. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 245, fig. 3c 25152173
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 232 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 294 archive.org
  • The Art of India and Southeast Asia. Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL (organizer) (May 17-June 14, 1964).
    The Art of India: Stone Sculpture. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (September 25-November 15, 1962).
    India's Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 2, 1949-January 22, 1950).
  • {{cite web|title=Personification of the Discus|url=false|author=|year=670|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.367