Untitled

Unknown

ca. 1490 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Asian Art

In Jain cosmology, Shakra's heaven is a blissful place where the jinas reside for eternity. It is populated by celestial dancers, seen here as beautiful maidens sensuously poised in the text margins. On the lower folio a male dancer accompanies the female dancers. These scenes are echoed in the textual descriptions of the Kalpasutra celebrating the jina Mahavira. The manuscript displays innovative use of red, blue, and green marginal designs that anticipate sixteenth-century styles and a lavish use of gold script on a red ground.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1490

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Culture

India (Gujarat)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1985