The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Vasudhara, Goddess of Abundance

1300s–1400s

Nepal

gilt bronze and semiprecious stones
Overall: 16.2 cm (6 3/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.493
Location: 237 Himalayan

Description

In Nepal this female counterpart of the god of wealth is one of the most popular divinities. This image was set up in either a domestic shrine or a Buddhist monastery, where devotees would pray to her for wealth, prosperity, and children. In each of her six arms she holds objects pertaining to life and abundance: jewels, an overflowing pot, and a sheaf of wheat. A Buddhist philosophical text rests on top of the lotus flower she holds in her topmost left hand, suggesting that wealth and prosperity can derive from the acquisition of true knowledge.
  • ?–1947
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1947–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hollis, Howard. "A Nepalese Gilt-Copper Image." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 35,, no. 3 (March 1948): 39–40. Mentioned: p. 39; Reproduced: p. 41 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. 755 archive.org
    Kramrisch, Stella. The Art of Nepal. New York: Distributed by H.N. Abrams, 1964. no. 46
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 233 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 233 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. 296 archive.org
    Schroeder, Ulrich von. Indo-Tibetan Bronzes. 1st ed. Hong Kong, Glattbrugg, Switzerland: Visual Dharma Publications; Sole distributor, Nanda Distribution, 1981. Mentioned: p. 358, no. 95D; Reproduced: p. 359, no. 95D
    Reedy, Chandra L. Himalayan Bronzes: Technology, Style, and Choices. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1997. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 239, fig. N276
  • Art of Nepal. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (May 7-August 30, 1964).
    Asia and the West. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (October 28-December 1, 1957).
    Indian and Indonesian Bronze. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (organizer) (November 2-30, 1955).
  • {{cite web|title=Vasudhara, Goddess of Abundance|url=false|author=|year=1300s–1400s|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.493