A Jain pata of Lokapurusha

INDIA, GUJARAT, 17TH CENTURY

Details

A Jain pata of Lokapurusha
India, Gujarat, 17th century
The standing yellow tirthankara with five rows of various animals and figures at his chest and upper arms, the jambudvipa at his waist, and ten rows of further animals and figures at his legs; a seated white jina at top center flanked by the jinas Mallinatha at upper left and Parsavanatha at upper right, each surrounded by squares of similar figures, two further deities at shoulder height, all interspersed with texts and numerical charts
Opaque and gold pigments on textile
50¼ x 29 in. (129 x 74 cm.)

Lot Essay

Lokapurushas depict the correlation between man and the universe by relating the cosmos to the proportions of the human figure. Divided into three parts, adholoka is represented from below the navel to the base; madhyaloka reduced to just the jambudvipa and represented by a round disk at the waist; and urdhvaloka is depicted by the torso, neck and head. The heavens and hell are further subdivided into multiple levels represented by multicolored squares to indicate where different deities, demons, animals and humans live.

Mallinatha, the nineteenth jina at upper left, is identifiable by his kailasha and elephant vehicle.

Parsavanatha, the twenty-third jina at upper right, is easily recognized by his green color and the seven-hooded snake serving as his canopy. The
additional imagery of the two jinas and related texts reinforce the Jain depictions of the metaphysical universe.

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