A black stone relief of Jina Parshavanatha

NORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 11TH/12TH CENTURY

Details

A black stone relief of Jina Parshavanatha
Northeastern India, Pala period, 11th/12th century
Standing nude in kayotsarga on a double-lotus base supported by naganis with his long arms by his sides, the face with downcast eyes and gently arching brows flanked by pendulous earlobes, the hair in tight curls over the ushnisha, backed and surmounted by a seven-hooded naga, flanked by male attendants with fly whisks and surrounded by a seated figures
28¼ in. (71.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Europe, before 1988
Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, 2000

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Lot Essay

Parshavanatha is the 23rd of 24 Jain Tithankaras, or "liberated souls," and is a historical figure from the 8th century BC. He belongs to the Digambara, or "sky-clad" sect of Jainism, with only the serpent king Dharana to sheild his body from the elements. Several Jain texts when Parshavanatha was attacked by a demon during meditation, Dharana covered the Jina with his own coiled body and made a parasol from the hood of his seven heads. The present sculpture is a superbly executed example of this iconic figure of Jainism.

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