Vishnu, Naga Basuki and Turtle

measurements: 17,5x9,5x8 cm
weight: 215 g

This very old, small statue shows Vishnu on Naga Basuki. Thanks to a friend of mine for the clarification.
Basuki, in the story, was wound as a rope around Mount Madara, and by pulling Basuki back and forth on its two sides, it was used to shake the mountain, which stood in the middle of the ocean of milk. Vishnu took the form of a giant turtle and prevented the mountain from sinking into the ocean. The ocean of milk began to move and produced the elixir of immortality.

The statue comes from a large, dissolved private collection in Berlin. The previous owner collected some old and high quality carvings. On the bottom of the statue here is the name "de Kat Angelino". There is no final proof that this is Piet de Kat Angelino, the author of the book "Mudras in Bali" which was published in the early 1920s. Piet de Kat Angelino was a civil servant in Java's capital at the time. The explicit mention of this name with a rather unusual ancient carving with mythological significance suggests this connection.

The shape of the underside suggests that this statue may have been an attachment or part of a larger composition. However, there is no information about this.