Page 43 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC
P. 43

314
           A GROUP OF FIFTEEN FOLIOS FROM A KALPA             while the others are predominantly his mythical precursors. Among
           SUTRA MANUSCRIPT                                   the subjects illustrated within this group of folios are robed Jinas,
           GUJARAT, 15TH CENTURY                              crowned Jinas, celestial Jina assembly halls, a Jina-mandala, Jina
           Opaque watercolor and ink on paper; each folio is double-sided with   mothers, Jain mother goddesses, a nativity scene, and narrative
           Prakrit text in Jain nagari script; 1 folio has text only, 13 folios are   scenes with kings and queens.
           illustrated on one side, 1 folio is illustrated on both sides, for a total of
           15 illustrations.                                  Four leaves, possibly from the same manuscript, were sold at
           Folios: 4 3/8 x 10 3/8 in. (11.2 x 26.4 cm) approx  Bonhams, New York, 18 March 2013, lot 66, and 23 September,
                                                              2020, lot 651. Another with a similar arrangement of a celestial
           $10,000 - 15,000                                   assembly hall was sold at Bonhams, London, 10 April 2008, lot 75.
                                                              Also see Pal, The Classical Tradition in Rajput Painting, 1978, p.48,
                                                              no.1.
           Displaying an excellent array of illustrated subjects from the major
           canonical text of the Jain religion, these folios are fine and characteristic   Provenance:
           examples of Jain miniature painting. The Kalpa Sutra (‘Book of Ritual’),   Rudi Oriental Arts, New York
           ascribed to Bhadrabahu (d. 385 BCE), describes the life of the 24   Private Californian Collection, acquired from the above 1970s/80s
           Jinas: beings liberated from rebirth. The last of these is Mahavira, who
           lived in the 6th century BCE and was the founder of the Jain religion,



                                                                              INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART  |  41
   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48