Artwork

Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures: Folio 60, text (recto); Sthulabhadra as a Lion (verso)

Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures: Folio 60, text (recto); Sthulabhadra as a Lion (verso) is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1450 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The folio is a double‑sided leaf from a Kalpa‑sutra manuscript containing a series of twenty‑four miniature paintings.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The verso of folio 60 depicts Sthulabhadra shown as a lion, a symbolic transformation that conveys his fierce spiritual authority within the Jain narrative tradition. This iconographic choice underscores the manuscript’s broader religious meaning, linking the saint’s ascetic power to the protective, regal qualities of the lion.

History & Provenance

The Kalpa-sutra manuscript containing twenty-four miniature paintings was created circa 1450 in Gujarat and exemplifies religious art from that period.

The Kalpa-sutra manuscript containing twenty-four miniature paintings was created circa 1450 in Gujarat and exemplifies religious art from that period. It is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, catalogued as object 1932.119.24, and attributed to an unknown artist.

The work depicts Sthulabhadra as a lion on the verso of folio 60, while the recto presents the accompanying text. Its provenance links directly to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it has been housed since its acquisition.

The Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures, specifically Folio 60 (recto) depicting Sthulabhadra as a Lion on the verso, is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its accession number is 1932.119.24, recorded with an inception date of 1450 and made in Gujarat. The work is classified as a religious painting.

Context

The Kalpa-sutra Manuscript with 24 Miniatures, specifically Folio 60 (recto) depicting Sthulabhadra as a Lion on the verso, is a religious painting created circa 1450 in Gujarat, India. This work belongs to the broader tradition of Jain manuscript illumination, where narrative scenes like Sthulabhadra's lion form served didactic purposes within the Kalpa-sutra text, which chronicles the lives of Jain saints. Scholarly attention to such folios has focused on their stylistic links to early 15th-century Western Indian painting conventions, particularly the use of bold outlines and flat color fields characteristic of the period.

The manuscript's presence in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection since 1932.119.24 has facilitated detailed technical studies of its pigments and brushwork, though its attribution to an anonymous artist underscores the challenges in tracing individual creators within this artistic milieu.

Overview

The folio is a double‑sided leaf from a Kalpa‑sutra manuscript containing a series of twenty‑four miniature paintings. The recto bears a line of black script punctuated by red dots, while the verso presents a vivid narrative scene rendered in bright red, blue and gold pigments.

Technique & Style

The miniature employs mineral pigments applied in bold, flat washes, characteristic of Indian manuscript illumination of the early medieval period. Fine black outlines define the figures, and the use of red dots in the text indicates a scribal practice for emphasizing key terms.