INDIA, GUJARAT, DATED 1416

Details

A Brass Image of Nandisvara Island
India, Gujarat, dated 1416
Of square section, modeled on all four sides with a standing Jina in shaped niches flanked by seated Jinas in relief, with a separately cast tiered cover cast with further seated Jinas, inscribed on the base indicating the donation of this piece in 1416 by a woman named Srimantivai
9¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high

Literature

P. Pal, The Peaceful Liberators, Jain Art from India, 1995, cat. no. 12, p. 121.

Lot Essay

Nandisvara ('Continent of Rejoicing'), is a land of lush gardens and lotus-filled lakes, forming the outermost of the concentric island-continents of Jain cosmography. The nudity of the figures as well as the four-faced form with a total of 52 seated Jinas point to the Digambara sect. Representations of Nandisvara are worshiped during festivals, and this is a rare and striking example of its type.

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