Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This early representation of Vishnu expresses the deity’s supreme manifestation, in which his two premier avatars, the boar Varaha and the man-lion Narasimha, are given expression in one form, the three-headed Para Vasudeva or Vaikuntha. Here, only the boar survives intact, framing the moustached and crowned Vishnu, who embodies an Indian vision of kingship. This remarkable bronze mask would have been secured to a wood frame, richly clothed, and garlanded to evoke the presence of Vishnu during temple festival parades, as is still seen today in the remoter regions of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art