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Lot Essay
This finely sculpted torso of a Jina is a striking example of medieval Jain artistry. Carved from a highly polished buff sandstone, the figure exhibits remarkable attention to anatomical detail, with a broad, gently swelling chest, an elegantly contoured waist, and softly rounded limbs. The nude form identifies the figure as belonging to the Digambara ("sky-clad") sect of Jainism, whose followers emphasize complete renunciation, including the abandonment of all possessions and clothing, as a path to spiritual liberation. The present torso stands as a masterpiece of Jain sculpture, an enduring expression of the sky-clad ideal form, perfected and liberated.
Jainism emerged in India around the sixth century BCE and flourished alongside Hinduism and Buddhism. The name "Jain" derives from the word jina, meaning “conqueror” or “liberator.” The ultimate goal of Jainism is to attain liberation (moksha) from the cycle of reincarnation (samsara). The faith is structured around the teachings of twenty-four tirthankaras, also known as jinas, spiritual victors who have conquered the cycle of death and rebirth and serve as guides for others on the path to liberation.
The earliest activity of the Jain community was centred in the present-day eastern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the sixth century BCE, gradually expanding westward and southward over the following centuries. Sculpted images of the jinas, typically symmetrical and idealized yogic figures, have been produced in these regions since at least the third to fourth centuries BCE. Most early Jain art, however, is associated with Mathura, dating from the first century BCE through the Kushan period, which ended around the third century CE. From the fourth through the eighth centuries, Jain artistic traditions continued to flourish in northern India while also spreading into the Deccan and the southern regions, eventually establishing a stronghold in present-day Gujarat.
By the tenth century, Gujarat had developed into a prosperous trade hub with a thriving Jain community. Wealthy patrons from this community commissioned temples, sculptures, manuscripts, and paintings. By this time, the full pantheon of Jain figures, including jinas, attendants, and guardian figures, had become iconographically codified. The period from the tenth to the thirteenth century is widely regarded as the golden age of Jain art, and it is from this era that the present sculpture originates.
The present figure, depicting one of the twenty-four jinas, is a masterful example of Jain sculpture. The jinas, who have attained ultimate liberation, are among the most commonly depicted figures in Jain art. Though not worshipped as deities, they are venerated as spiritual exemplars. Their images serve as objects of meditative focus, symbolizing the aspirational goal and possibility of moksha.
The refinement of the carving and the polished finish suggest the present figure was a significant commission. The striking symmetry reflects the harmonious ideal sought in representations of the jinas from the Digambara sect. As ascetics, jinas are depicted nude, free of worldly possessions, crowns, or jewelry. Nakedness is considered to be the ideal practice, symbolizing complete detachment from material goods, but also freeing oneself from the distraction of acquiring, washing and maintaining garments, allowing monks to focus solely on self-discipline. The figure bears a srivatsa mark at the centre of the chest, recognizing the knowledge coming from his heart, and also a distinguishing feature separating Jain imagery from similar depictions of the Buddha. The figure stands in kayotsarga, the meditative posture of “body abandonment,” symbolizing detachment from the physical world.
While jinas are typically identified by the symbolic attributes that surround them, their physiognomy and musculature remain largely consistent across depictions, making exact identification difficult in the present lot. The present figure bears close resemblance to a tenth-century sandstone sculpture of the 23rd jina, Parshvanatha, distinguished by a serpent hood, from the Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price Collection and now housed in the Birmingham Museum of Art (accession number 2003.49). Another comparison is an eleventh-century black stone torso of an unidentified seated jina, sold at Christie’s Paris on 14 December 2016, lot 2, for EUR 140,500, which shares a similar refinement of carving and idealized yogic form. Another figure compares with the present lot, a 12th century sandstone figure from Madhya Pradesh, tentatively identified as the 24th Jina, Mahavira, from the Dr. David Nalin collection, published by Pratapaditya Pal in Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles, 1995, no. 27, pg. 140. While they exemplify similar standards in carving, particularly around the fine srivatsa mark and chest, the present lot is executed in considerably larger scale.
Jainism emerged in India around the sixth century BCE and flourished alongside Hinduism and Buddhism. The name "Jain" derives from the word jina, meaning “conqueror” or “liberator.” The ultimate goal of Jainism is to attain liberation (moksha) from the cycle of reincarnation (samsara). The faith is structured around the teachings of twenty-four tirthankaras, also known as jinas, spiritual victors who have conquered the cycle of death and rebirth and serve as guides for others on the path to liberation.
The earliest activity of the Jain community was centred in the present-day eastern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the sixth century BCE, gradually expanding westward and southward over the following centuries. Sculpted images of the jinas, typically symmetrical and idealized yogic figures, have been produced in these regions since at least the third to fourth centuries BCE. Most early Jain art, however, is associated with Mathura, dating from the first century BCE through the Kushan period, which ended around the third century CE. From the fourth through the eighth centuries, Jain artistic traditions continued to flourish in northern India while also spreading into the Deccan and the southern regions, eventually establishing a stronghold in present-day Gujarat.
By the tenth century, Gujarat had developed into a prosperous trade hub with a thriving Jain community. Wealthy patrons from this community commissioned temples, sculptures, manuscripts, and paintings. By this time, the full pantheon of Jain figures, including jinas, attendants, and guardian figures, had become iconographically codified. The period from the tenth to the thirteenth century is widely regarded as the golden age of Jain art, and it is from this era that the present sculpture originates.
The present figure, depicting one of the twenty-four jinas, is a masterful example of Jain sculpture. The jinas, who have attained ultimate liberation, are among the most commonly depicted figures in Jain art. Though not worshipped as deities, they are venerated as spiritual exemplars. Their images serve as objects of meditative focus, symbolizing the aspirational goal and possibility of moksha.
The refinement of the carving and the polished finish suggest the present figure was a significant commission. The striking symmetry reflects the harmonious ideal sought in representations of the jinas from the Digambara sect. As ascetics, jinas are depicted nude, free of worldly possessions, crowns, or jewelry. Nakedness is considered to be the ideal practice, symbolizing complete detachment from material goods, but also freeing oneself from the distraction of acquiring, washing and maintaining garments, allowing monks to focus solely on self-discipline. The figure bears a srivatsa mark at the centre of the chest, recognizing the knowledge coming from his heart, and also a distinguishing feature separating Jain imagery from similar depictions of the Buddha. The figure stands in kayotsarga, the meditative posture of “body abandonment,” symbolizing detachment from the physical world.
While jinas are typically identified by the symbolic attributes that surround them, their physiognomy and musculature remain largely consistent across depictions, making exact identification difficult in the present lot. The present figure bears close resemblance to a tenth-century sandstone sculpture of the 23rd jina, Parshvanatha, distinguished by a serpent hood, from the Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price Collection and now housed in the Birmingham Museum of Art (accession number 2003.49). Another comparison is an eleventh-century black stone torso of an unidentified seated jina, sold at Christie’s Paris on 14 December 2016, lot 2, for EUR 140,500, which shares a similar refinement of carving and idealized yogic form. Another figure compares with the present lot, a 12th century sandstone figure from Madhya Pradesh, tentatively identified as the 24th Jina, Mahavira, from the Dr. David Nalin collection, published by Pratapaditya Pal in Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles, 1995, no. 27, pg. 140. While they exemplify similar standards in carving, particularly around the fine srivatsa mark and chest, the present lot is executed in considerably larger scale.