EN
♡
Text, folio 12 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra — Western India, Gujarat

Click image to view full screen

Written by: Amelia MoreauSenior Specialist · Illumination (Tezhip)
Illumination (Tezhip) · Catalogue no. 38380
Western India, Gujarat

Text, folio 12 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byCleveland Museum of Art
Own a comparable work? Consign with us

✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing

The tiny captions written in Sanskrit to the right of the painting identify the subject of this scene: “abduction of the embryo” and “transfer of the embryo.” The embryo is the unborn founder of the Jain religion. <br><br>In this miraculous episode, a goat-headed divinity who presides over miscarriage and childbirth gently takes the embryo in his cupped hands away from the reclining Brahmin lady in the scene above. Below, he carries it to a queen, who will be his birth mother.

Artist / MakerWestern India, Gujarat
Datec. 1475–1500
Culture / OriginWestern India, Gujarat
MediumGum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
DimensionsOverall: 12.5 x 25.7 cm (4 15/16 x 10 1/8 in.)
DepartmentIndian and Southeast Asian Art
TypePainting
About the Artist

Full biography →

Provenance & Source

Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.

Condition

A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.

Shipping & Collection

Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.

Buying at Matchless Pieces

Register, verify your identity, and bid online or in a private room. Buyer’s premium and taxes are shown before you confirm.

The Matchless Letter

Sale previews, new discoveries in illumination and miniature, and private-room invitations.