A JAIN SANDSTONE HEAD OF A JINA India, Rajasthan, 11th - 12th century. Well carved with an ovoid face showing a serene expression with open almond-shaped eyes below elegantly arched eyebrows. The full lips are pursed to form a subtle smile, flanked by long ears, the hair arranged in tight curls surmounted by a floral cap. Provenance: A London private collector, acquired in 1970 from the private collection of the owner of Galerie Demons et Merveilles in Paris, France. Condition: Good condition commensurate with age, extensive wear and losses. Weight: 7.7 kg (excl. base) Dimensions: Height 23 cm (excl. base) Mounted on a modern base. (2) According to the Jain tradition and its doctrine of non-violence, a Jina (also "Conqueror" or Tirthankara) represents the highest stage of a supreme being, of which there are 24 in number. This head can be identified as that of a Jina by the lack of an ushnisha, the domed protuberance on the head that is characteristic of Buddha, while all other features of an enlightened being are shared. A specific iconographic element are the almond-shaped eyes, shaded by the eyelids, with a gaze turned inward, reflecting a heightened mind in perfect equilibrium. According to the iconographic ideals, the hair is arranged in snail-like curls in gently undulating rows, the arched eyebrows follow the curved outline of the margosa leaves, and together with the bridge of the nose, dividing the face into equal parts at 120 degrees, the eyes are like lotus petals, the nose akin to a sesame flower (tilaphula), the lips like the bimba fruit, the elongated earlobes a reference to his former princely life when jewels had weighed them down. Nature is thus sublimated into a rhythmic and sculptural form, emulating spiritual perfection in aesthetic terms. Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related sandstone Jina head at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art including 20th Century Indian on 19 September 2002, lot 58, sold for USD 8,962. Compare also with a related but considerably larger as well as later sandstone Jina head at Sotheby's New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 22 March 2018, lot 1021, sold for USD 22,500.