Vishnu on the banks of the Volga river

[mkapstei at UCHICAGO.EDU]

The Sassanian objects I was referring to are these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coupe_de_Chosro%C3%A8s.JPG

http://www.bridgemanart.com/image/Iranian-School/Vase-of-Alienor-from-the-Treasure-of-Saint-Denis-Sassanid-Period-6th-or-7th-century-with-setting-do/ce352bf72aab4dfea46c8b9aad49a5a0?key=%20Persian%20School%206th%20century&thumb=x150&num=15&page=11

I brought them up only as interesting examples of the circulation of precious objects between Europe and Asia during the latter part of the first millennium. How the
Russian Visnu and the Swedish Buddha got where they
did are of course distinct questions.

Matthew T. Kapstein
Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies
The University of Chicago Divinity School
Directeur d'études
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris