A JAIN WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A TIRTHANKARA, WESTERN INDIA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY
Seated in padmasana on a cushioned throne, the figure wearing a diaphanous lower garment, the sash projecting in relief in front of the legs, his hands folded in dhyana mudra, his chest with a srivatsa mark. His face with downcast eyes and serene expression, flanked by elongated earlobes, the hair arranged in tight curls and surmounted by a cranial protrusion. The stone with a good polish, resulting in a smooth, unctuous feel overall.


Provenance:
From a private estate in the United Kingdom.

Condition:
Small chips and minor losses, the stone with natural inclusions, irregularities and fissures. Some cracks and breaks with old repairs and associated fills. Magnificent naturally grown patina overall, with a fine pale ivory tone.

Weight: 13.8 kg
Dimensions: Height 38.5 cm


The nudity of Jain saints
was a practice of both asceticism and their belief in non-possession, dating back to the days of Mahavira. However, a schism arose in around 79 AD, extensively recorded in literature, about what constitutes total renunciation. At the time, Jain monks separated into rival factions, the Digambaras (‘clothed with the sky’), who were nude, and the Svetambaras (‘clothed with white’), who wore white cloths. According to inscriptions, the Svetambaras worshipped the nude image without objection and for both sects the Jinas and the saint Bahubali are represented naked while all other deities are clothed and even ornamented.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related marble tirthankara from Gujrat, Western India, dated c. 1612, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number AC1998.256.2.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 18 October 2002, lot 122
Price: GBP 4,465 or approx.
EUR 11,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Indian marble deity Jain, probably 12th/13th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related material, manner of carving, pose, and expression. Note the size (56 cm) and the somewhat spurious dating of “probably 12th/13th century”.