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Lot 1837
FOUR COSMIC MANUSCRIPT PAGES
Estimated Value:
1.200 € - 1.800 €
Schätzpreis:
1.800 €
Description:
Gujarat or Rajasthan, 18th/19th, 19th and 20th c.div.
Four manuscript pages show the outline and structure of the Jain universe. The format of the three smaller miniatures refers to the manuscript culture of western India, where comparable illustrations have been produced since the 17th century to illustrate cosmological manuscripts.The largest of the three sheets (19th century or later) is limited to depicting the outer shape of the universe, which resembles an hourglass. To emphasise the structure of the individual levels, the artist has divided them into smaller square units by lines in red paint. The vertically running tunnel, which serves the souls to ascend and descend, shows various symbols in the upper section on the level of the heavens. The dimensions of the individual levels are indicated at the edge of the picture. One of the small-format sheets (20th century) reproduces the motif in an almost identical manner, but adds a pair of eyes and a rather unusual eyebrow bulge (?) at the upper edge. The third miniature (20th century) shows a human head and two arms in the central area instead of the pair of eyes, which seem to be reversed from the usual way of painting the motif. The hells here are decorated with dark jars and the heavens with different symbols referring to the dwellings of the gods. The oldest of the four miniatures (18th century) stands out for its particularly careful drawing. Here the "World Man" (Sanskrit: lokapuruṣa) is depicted almost completely. The shape and design of the face stylistically point to a period of production in the 18th century and correspond to the painting style of the West Indian schools of painting.
Aus einer bedeutenden norddeutschen Privatsammlung, die von den frühen 1950er bis in die 1980er Jahre hauptsächlich in Indien gesammelt wurde
