Description
Manuscripts of the Kalpa-sutra are sacred embodiments of Jain doctrine. For this reason, they are worthy of beautification, adornment, and celebration by the inhabitants of heaven, such as the celestial dancers under cusped arches on this page.
The commissioning of a manuscript is believed to cleanse donors of the karmic effects of past wrongdoing. Wealthy donors gained prestige in the community with the costly production of a sacred manuscript.
The commissioning of a manuscript is believed to cleanse donors of the karmic effects of past wrongdoing. Wealthy donors gained prestige in the community with the costly production of a sacred manuscript.
Provenance
(Asian Decorative Interiors, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1979); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1979–)
Accession Number
1979.23
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 11.5 x 29.3 cm (4 1/2 x 11 9/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift in memory of Herbert F. Leisy
