Matsya - 01

This is a striking Thanjavur reverse glass painting of one of the ten avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu, Matsya from the 1950s/60s. Matsya, which means fish in Sanskrit, is described as having rescued the first man Manu from a great deluge. He symbolises existence emerging from the waters of non-existence, portrayed here in the black background. Matsya may be depicted as a giant fish, or, as shown here, anthropomorphically with the torso of Vishnu connected to the tail of a fish. He holds in his upper hands the Sudarshana chakra (discus) and a shankha (conch), the usual weapons of Vishnu. The other two hands make the gestures of varadamudra, which grants boons to the devotee, and abhayamudra, which reassures the devotee of protection.