
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
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US$25,000 - US$35,000
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International Director

Head of Sale, Specialist
This early personal shrine depicts Parshvanatha, the penultimate of twenty-four transcendent exemplars of the Jain faith. Identified by the hooded serpent above his head, Parshvanatha sits on a cushioned throne supported by a pair of lions at the center of the composition. Portly spirit helpers (yaksha) squat on either side, above personifications of the nine planetary bodies of Indian astrology. Parshvanatha is then joined by four other jinas to form an auspicious gathering known as a panchatirthi, a five-jina shrine.
The leafy finials and ornamental arch that flower with a vase of plenty (kalasha) are hallmarks of an artistic tradition that spread from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh. The nakedness of the two diminutive standing jinas indicates the shrine was produced for a member of the Digambara sect, who were primarily located in Eastern Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Another bronze of the same style and period was sold at Bonhams, New York, 19 March 2018, lot 3071, and a larger shrine, dated 1097, is in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C. (F1993.11).
Provenance
Collection of Siddharth K. Bhansali, New Orleans
Acquired in London between 1978-83