Untitled

Unknown

15th century · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Asian Art

Upon arriving in the forest, Mahavira descends from the palanquin and sits beneath an asoka tree on high ground marked by the rock formations below and, attended by a kneeling Shakra, discards his princely attire and jewels (according to the text, they are gathered up by Kuvera, god of wealth) and plucks out his hair in three clumps (collected in an diamond urn by Shakra) as an expression of renunciation. Preserving his discarded jewels and hair would seem to be an allusion to the memory of the practice of relic worship, which is not otherwise acknowledged in Jainism, though it was central to early Buddhist worship.

Artist

Unknown

Date

15th century

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Culture

India (Gujarat)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1955