Page 93 - Bonhams Himalayan, Indian Art march 2015

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A copper alloy figure of a Digambara Jina
Karnataka or Tamil Nadu, 9th century
Solidly cast, standing ‘sky clad’ in the body-abandoning pose (kayotsarga), his slender arms
extending from broad shoulders below a fleshy waist, his face with a prominent lower lip, a
nose like a garuda’s beak, high arched brows, and wide eyes.
17 1/2 in. (44.4 cm) high
$60,000 - 80,000

This rare figure may originate from Karnataka, where Jain communities flourished under
continuous royal patronage, but more likely it was cast in Tamil Nadu, where Jainism
experienced a revival in the 8th and 9th centuries following an influx of Jain migrants from
Karnataka. The placement of the auspicious shrivatsa mark above his right breast is suggested
to be unique to images from Tamil Nadu (Granoff, ed., The Victorious Ones: Jain Images of
Perfection, 2009, p. 208).

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art holds a closely related example which appears on
the front cover of Pal, The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles, 1994. The
two share similar ovoid faces, high arching brows, and v-shaped lips – the combination of
which distinguishes them from other examples of the region and period that become more
abstracted over time.

Provenance
Estate of Mrs. Julian B. Hermann, before 1960s by repute
Thence by descent since 1978

Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art | 91