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Nemi Enthroned, Folio 54 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra

Unknown

1488

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Religious

Dominant colour

Nemi Enthroned, Folio 54 (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

A golden figure sits on a throne inside a red shrine. He wears a tall crown and jewels, his eyes closed in deep meditation. Two smaller figures stand beside him, holding fly whisks. This is Arishtanemi, a spiritual teacher in Jain tradition. Jains believe he broke free from the cycle of rebirth. The painting comes from a sacred book made in Gujarat, India. The bright colors and flat shapes are typical of Jain art from this time. To see more works like this, look up the subject western india, gujarat.

The story of this work

Overview

Followers of the Jain religion recognize 24 Jinas, individuals who reached liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth. Arishtanemi was the 22nd of the 24 and was a cousin of Krishna. Here Arishtanemi sits in eternal meditative bliss, crowned and bejeweled in a shrine. His attendants are sometimes recognized as the Hindu deities Krishna and Balarama. Followers of the Jain religion do not view Krishna as a supreme deity; instead, they view him and his brother Balarama as semidivine heroes with access to the liberated being.

Read the full account in the museum source.