Shri Sheshanarayana, Vishnu Narayana on Shesha
This print depicts Vishnu Narayana— the primordial god who resides in water (nara)—stirring from his slumber on the cosmic ocean supported by the divine serpent Shesha, a celebrated moment that marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of a new age. Here Vishnu is accompanied by an assembly of gods, including his wife Lakshmi (left) and two divine devotees (right), a kneeling Garuda, and the ancient sage Narada, who is here likely modeled on the Vaishnava saint Tyagaraja (1767–1847), a celebrated devotee (bhakta) famed for the songs he composed in praise of Vishnu.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shri Sheshanarayana, Vishnu Narayana on Shesha
- Date: 1886
- Culture: India
- Medium: Chromolithographic print on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 19 1/8 × 14 in. (48.6 × 35.6 cm)
Sheet: 20 × 14 in. (50.8 × 35.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Mark Baron and Elise Boisanté, 2012
- Object Number: 2012.523.5
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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India
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