CLASSICAL INDIAN ART | LIVE AUCTION, MUMBAI (09 MARCH 2017)

128-129 / 176

128 129
63
MAHAVIRA FLANKED
BY TWENTY ‒ THREE
TIRTHANKARAS
KARNATAKA, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY
Inscribed in Telugu at the bottom
Brass
12.5 in (32.3 cm) high
Rs 8,00,000 - 12,00,000
$ 11,945 - 17,915
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED
ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Property of a Distinguished Family Collection
Vardhaman Mahavir is the last of
the twenty‒four tirthankaras as
identified in Jain scriptures. The
lion attribute at the base of the
sculpture identifies Mahavir as the
central figure. He is surrounded by
the twenty‒three tirthankaras who
preceded him, and together they
constitute the entire pantheon.
64
JINA
KARNATAKA, 14TH - 15TH CENTURY
Bronze
13 in (33.2 cm) high
Rs 10,00,000 - 15,00,000
$ 14,930 - 22,390
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUI
PROVENANCE
Property from a Distinguished Family Collection
The sculpture shows a Digambara
tirthankara or jina in a meditation
pose known as kayotsarga, or the
position of “abandoning the body.”
This is believed to be the most
exacting pose, taking non‒violence,
the central concept of Jainism to its
extreme. In this pose, thebody stands
erect and symmetrical. The feet are
slightly apart and firmly planted on
the ground, with the weight of the
body evenly distributed on unbent
legs. The arms hang loosely along
the body. This is a pose of complete
peace and liberation.