Wooden Sacred Sculpture of Vishnu, the Preserver

In this magnificent wooden sculpture, one perceives not only the technical mastery of the artisan but also the metaphysical essence of Vishnu, the Preserver of the universe within the Hindu Trimürti. Standing atop a lotus pedestal - a symbol of purity blooming untouched by the mire of existence - the deity embodies cosmic stability, sovereign grace, and divine compassion.
Vishnu is depicted with four arms, each bearing sacred emblems of his power: the conch (sankha), which resonates with the primordial sound of creation; the discus (cakra), symbolizing cyclical time and the annihilation of evil; the lotus (padma), representing transcendent beauty; and the mace (gada), signifying moral and spiritual strength. These attributes are not mere ornamentation but vehicles of cosmological and philosophical meaning.
The ornate arch framing the deity, adorned with mythical creatures and floral motifs, serves as a symbolic threshold between the phenomenal and the noumenal realms — between samsāra and moksa. The stylized lions flanking the figure evoke Vishnu's regal power, a sovereignty not of brute force but of dharmic order.
Vishnu's power is neither destructive nor chaotic; it is the power of preservation, of balance, of mercy. He intervenes in the world through his avataras — divine incarnations — to restore dharma when it falters. From Rama to Krsna, each avatara is a divine response to cosmic crisis, a manifestation of the eternal principle guiding the universe toward justice and harmony.
Thus, this sculpture is not merely an artistic object: it is a three-dimensional mandala, a sacred portal inviting contemplation of the divine — of a power that does not impose but guides, that does not destroy but sustains, that acts not with clamor but with silent majesty.
Doktor Lazarus Archaeologist, Historian, Collector, Independent Curator