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King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala with the Dream Interpreters, Folio 25 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra

Unknown

1488

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Religious

Dominant colour

King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala with the Dream Interpreters, Folio 25 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra is a 1488 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1488 · Mughal Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a king and queen sitting on a throne while two bearded men below them read and write. The queen has just shared her dreams, and the men are figuring out what they mean. This painting comes from a Jain religious book made in Gujarat, India, around 1500. The dreams predict the birth of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. The bright colors and flat shapes are typical of art from this region and time. To see more like this, look up *western india, gujarat*.

The story of this work

Overview

The king and queen seated in the upper register are the parents of Mahavira, founder of the Jain religion. The two bearded figures in the lower register are the learned men versed in the interpretation of dreams. One writes with a pen; the other consults a scroll. They predict that the auspicious dreams of the queen foretell the birth of a son who will either be a powerful hero and king or a religious leader of the world.

Read the full account in the museum source.