A STONE STELE OF VISHNU RESTING ON SHESHA, KING OF NAGAS, PALA PERIOD
India, 10th-11th century. Vishnu is resting on Shesha, the King of Naga, with a serpent hood above his head, and holding a large lotus stem with circular blossom in two of his four hands, one of his secondary hands supporting his head. Below the deity is a relief of small figures pulling a long rope in opposite directions.

Provenance: From a Hungarian private collection.
Condition: Overall condition commensurate with age, with extensive wear and losses, structural cracks, nicks and scratches. A larger crack with an old repair and minor fills.

Weight: 14.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 29 cm, Width 36 cm

This sculpture depicts Vishnu sleeping in an ocean of darkness on the naga, Shesha, just before the bright sound of “Om” wakens him, so that he may bear Brahma on a lotus from his navel to create the world.

Literature comparison: Compare a smaller Cambodian stone sculpture depicting Vishnu resting on Shesha, dated to the Angkor period, ca. 921-945, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1996.466.

Auction result comparison: Compare also a Khmer stone figure depicting the same subject, Baphuon style, dated 11th century, at Christie's New York, 23 March 2010, lot 278, sold for USD 110,500.