Varaha Red Sandstone Central India

Carved in relief with Vishnu in his boar incarnation stepping forward from the ocean, his left foot placed upon a lotus, two nagas beneath with their hands clasped in devotion. Vishnu's primary right hand rests on his thigh in katihasta mudra while his remaining hands carry his attributes of mace, conch and discus. A dimunitive figure of the earth Goddess, Bhudevi, whom Vishnu has rescued from the primeval waters, is balanced on his left elbow. The figure is bejeweled, wearing a broad, beaded waistband and necklaces and is placed within a niche between two pillars.

Sotheby's New York, March 21 & 22, 1990, Lot 253

This zoomorphic representation of Vishnu gained popular currency during the medieval period and was widely depicted in Central Indian temple sculpture.