Page 40 - Indian and Himalayan Art Mar 21, 2018 NYC

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by a demon during meditation. Coming to his aid, the serpent King, Dharana
A PINK SANDSTONE BUST OF JINA PARSHVANATHA
INDIA, RAJASTHAN, 10TH/11TH CENTURY shields the meditating Jina with his hoods. The story is analogous to that of
24º in. (61.6 cm.) high the Buddha overcoming temptation by the demon Mara just before achieving
$30,000-50,000 enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. A distinguishing trait of a Jina is the
srivatsa mark on the chest.
PROVENANCE
Christie’s Amsterdam, 5 December 1989, lot 147. The ideal yogi, tirthankaras are typically depicted in a seated posture or in
kayotsarga, the standing body-abandonment pose. While it is dificult to assess
This elegant sandstone bust of the Jina Parshvanatha belongs to the whether this fgure was originally standing or seated, it is unquestionably an
Digambara, or “sky-clad” sect of Jainism and is the twenty-third tirthankara, important depiction as seen in its robust modeling and fnely carved details.
one who has conquered samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth) and provides Compare the proportions of the face—the raised arched eyebrows, heavy-
others a bridge leading to moksha (liberation). Parshvanatha is the earliest Jain lidded, almond-shaped eyes and individually rendered, protruding, snail-like
leader for whom there is evidence of having been a historical fgure (c.877-777 curls—with a North Indian example illustrated in Victorious Ones: Jain Images
BCE). He is often associated with a particular story in which he is attacked of Perfection (P. Granof, New York, 2009, pp. 174-175, fg. S 08).
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印度 拉賈斯坦邦 十/十一世紀 砂岩耆那像