Jeepers Creepers, Where’d You Get Those…

A journalist asked us today about the enamel eyes sported by our Vishnu and Lakshmi sculpture in Sanjay Patel’s Deities, Demons and Dudes with ‘Staches.

Enamel eyes for deity statues

One of our conservators with some ready-made enamel eyes.

This sculpture was originally intended to have eyes like these. There are carved depressions in the stone for them, as you can see from the picture below. We don’t know whether the sculpture never got its eyes, or lost them at some point.  Years ago we made a mold of the eye depressions, and I gave the mold to an artisan in India who makes such eyes. The artisan then created a pair for us from enameled metal, as is traditional.

Sculpture of Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Vishnu and Lakshmi in their former, eyeless state.

This sculpture (which has not been on view for many years) was borrowed for the recent traveling exhibition Vishnu: Hinduism’s Blue-Skinned Savior. The show’s curator, Joan Cummins of the Brooklyn Museum, learned that we had eyes for the sculpture and asked to show the piece in her exhibition with the eyes in place. We agreed enthusiastically.

The sculpture with eyes.

Vishnu and Lakshmi with their new enamel eyes.

Lots of Indian sculptures–both Hindu and Jain–have such eyes, and the tradition is an old one. Today you can easily buy ready-made eyes, or have them made to order, as we did.

3 Responses to “Jeepers Creepers, Where’d You Get Those…”

  1. Dany  on November 17th, 2011 at 10:22 am

    It is believed that the gaze which falls from the newly-opened eyes of a sculptural deity is said to be so powerful that it must first fall upon some offering or upon a mirror; otherwise, if the powerful gaze fell first upon some unwitting bystander, s/he would die instantly of its force!

    Literally, awesome!

  2. nico  on November 17th, 2011 at 10:53 am

    These might actually be better than even googly eyes. I must get some at once, and put them on everything.

  3. Nancy  on November 17th, 2011 at 11:02 am

    You know, I didn’t die of the force but the force is certainly with those deities once you put the eyes in. Oh, and a very clever title as well.


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