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This painterly image is meant to be hidden. It appears on the backside of a gem-set pendant and would have been positioned close to the heart, directly on the skin or resting against a garment. Utilizing transparent and opaque champlevé enamel, the artist filled the center plaque and surrounding area with scenes depicting the avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu. An important divinity and a protector of law and order, the blue-skinned deity appears in many forms. Starting from the top left and moving clockwise around the pendant, Vishnu is shown in various incarnations outlined in the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavata Purana.
View: Reverse
Pendant depicting the ten incarnations of Vishnu
Indian, Jaipur, Rajasthan
early 18th century
Object Place: Jaipur, Rajasthan, Northern India
Medium/Technique
Gold, enamel; gold, yellow sapphire, diamond, emerald, ruby on obverse
Dimensions
4.9 x 4.8 cm (1 15/16 x 1 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Otis Norcross Fund
Accession Number39.764
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Pendants
This painterly image is meant to be hidden. It appears on the backside of a gem-set pendant and would have been positioned close to the heart, directly on the skin or resting against a garment. Utilizing transparent and opaque champlevé enamel, the artist filled the center plaque and surrounding area with scenes depicting the avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu. An important divinity and a protector of law and order, the blue-skinned deity appears in many forms. Starting from the top left and moving clockwise around the pendant, Vishnu is shown in various incarnations outlined in the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavata Purana.
Provenance1939, sold by Messrs. Ganeshi Lal, Agra, India, to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 9, 1939)