Birth of Mahavira, folio 40 (verso) from a Kalpa-sutra
1400
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1400
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Birth of Mahavira, folio 40 (verso) from a Kalpa-sutra is a 1400 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A queen and her newborn baby rest on a golden swing, eyes locked. Two servants wave fly whisks above them. The baby is Mahavira, who started the Jain faith. This painting was made on paper, not the usual palm leaves. Paper was easier to find in 1400s Gujarat. A tiny hole in the red circle let a string bind the pages together. Look up more paintings from western india, gujarat to see how artists told sacred stories.
A queen and her golden newborn lie on a swing, gazing at one another as two attendants hold fly whisks to honor them. The infant is Mahavira, founder of the Jain religion, who lived during the 500s BC in northern India. Though palm leaf was preferred for sacred texts, Jain communities transitioned to the more readily available material of paper during the 1300s. A hole in the central red dot was made for a binding string. The margin notes beginning with the “=” sign are comments explaining the text.
Under the swing bed is a box decorated with two geese, filled with paan (betel nut, lime, and spices wrapped in betel leaf).
Read the full account in the museum source.
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