Page 18 - Bonhams, Indian and Himalayan Art New York July 23, 2020

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A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE TO PARSHVANATHA The leafy finials and ornamental arch that flower with a vase of
CENTRAL INDIA, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY plenty (kalasha) are hallmarks of an artistic tradition that spread from
The back and left side with a single-line inscription. Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh. The nakedness of the two diminutive
6 in. (15.3 cm) high standing jinas indicates the shrine was produced for a member of
the Digambara sect, who were primarily located in Eastern Rajasthan
$25,000 - 35,000 and Madhya Pradesh. Another bronze of the same style and period
was sold at Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3071, and a
This early personal shrine depicts Parshvanatha, the penultimate larger shrine, dated 1097, is in the National Museum of Asian Art,
of twenty-four transcendent exemplars of the Jain faith. Identified Washington D.C. (F1993.11).
by the hooded serpent above his head, Parshvanatha sits on a
cushioned throne supported by a pair of lions at the center of the Provenance
composition. Portly spirit helpers (yaksha) squat on either side, above Collection of Siddharth K. Bhansali, New Orleans
personifications of the nine planetary bodies of Indian astrology. Acquired in London between 1978-83
Parshvanatha is then joined by four other jinas to form an auspicious
gathering known as a panchatirthi, a five-jina shrine.

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