Artwork
Folio 40 from a Kalpa-sutra: Text (recto); Birth of Mahavira (verso)
Folio 40 from a Kalpa-sutra: Text (recto); Birth of Mahavira (verso) is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1400 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Folio 40 belongs to a Kalpa‑sutra manuscript, a Jain religious text.
About this work
History & Provenance
” The reinstallation presented the folio alongside related Jain manuscripts to explore figural and narrative conventions.
This folio was created around 1400, as indicated by the Cleveland Museum of Art’s record of its accession in 1976.
It entered the museum’s holdings as accession number 1976.27, where it remains located. The museum’s record assigns the work to an unknown artist and situates its creation in the year 1400.
The work is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it carries the accession number 1976.27.
It has been exhibited as a single object in the museum’s 2014 reinstallation of its Indic and Southeast Asian galleries, titled “Ideas of the Body in Indian Art.” The reinstallation presented the folio alongside related Jain manuscripts to explore figural and narrative conventions.
Overview
Folio 40 belongs to a Kalpa‑sutra manuscript, a Jain religious text. The leaf is double‑sided: the recto carries black‑ink script in an unfamiliar script, while the verso presents a miniature illustration depicting the birth of Mahavira. The page is made of paper that has yellowed with age, and the pigments retain a muted brightness despite centuries of use.
Subject & Meaning
The miniature on the verso shows a domestic interior with a low‑sloping roof. A kneeling woman assists a seated man, who holds a staff and appears composed. This scene is traditionally interpreted as the moment of Mahavira’s birth, emphasizing the calm dignity of the newborn’s father and the supportive role of the mother.
Technique & Style
The illustration employs a limited palette of reds, blues, and greens applied in flat washes, outlined with fine black lines. A red ornamental border frames the vignette, contrasting with the faded paper background. The figures are rendered in a stylized manner characteristic of early Jain manuscript painting, with emphasis on gesture over naturalistic detail.
Context
Kalpa‑sutras record the lives of the Tirthankaras, the spiritual teachers of Jainism, and were commonly illustrated to aid devotional reading. The birth narrative of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, was a frequent subject for miniature painting, reflecting the importance of his life events in Jain ritual and education.
Artist & collection
Text describing the pregnancy of Queen Trishala, folio 40 (recto) from a Kalpa-sutra
Untitled
Mahavira's Initiation Tonsure, Folio 37 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra
Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures: King Siddhartha Rises and Bathes
Queen Trishala's Grief and Happiness, Folio 29 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra
Untitled
Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures: Siddhartha Hears the Recitation of Trisala's Dreams
Vigil on the Sixth Night After Mahavira's Birth, Folio 33 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra