An illustrated Jain Harivamsapurana

Acharya Jinasena the Elder. Harivamsapurana.

€ 75.000,00

A beautifully decorated manuscript of the Jain Harivamsapurana, which narrates the life of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha, alongside the deeds of Krishna. The accomplished hand-painted illustrations depict seated holy figures attended by men and women as well as scenes from court life. Dating from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, this handsomely preserved codex bears witness to India's mature scribal tradition, which at the time was beginning to give way to the printed book.

The oblong form recalls the dimensions and layout of a traditional palm-leaf manuscript. Eight of the ten illustrations depict seated Tirthankaras: literally meaning 'ford-makers', the twenty-four Tirthankaras forged paths of salvation across the interminable cycle of death and birth for others to follow. The Tirthankaras are identified by their colour and emblem, and in three cases their names. Neminatha, the focus of the text, is depicted as a blue figure sitting on a pedestal with a shanka (conch) and his name on the base in Devanagari script. Two further illustrations depict a king in discussion with his courtiers and a woman lying in her chamber, attended by two maids.

The colophon in red ink identifies the text as the Harivamsapurana, traditionally ascribed to the older Acharya Jinasena in the late eighth century CE. In addition to the Tirthankaras and Neminatha in particular, the work recounts some of the adventures of Krishna, Neminatha's cousin. In one tale, Neminatha is said to have blown the conch of Krishna, which no one else could lift, and to have defeated him in a trial of strength. Later, at his marriage, the cries of the animals being slaughtered for the wedding-feast so distressed Neminatha that he renouced the world for an ascetic life, and so built a path to salvation.

Scribal tradition remained a powerful force in Indian culture much longer than in Europe, partially due to the later introduction of printing. Moreover, as climatic conditions and available materials meant that manuscripts had a shorter lifespan, it was essential for them to be copied numerously and frequently, and professional scribes remained an important presence. Manuscripts such as this one represent India's mature manuscript culture at a crucial turning point, when print was starting to make more serious inroads.

A remarkably beautiful and well-preserved piece of Indian scribal and artistic tradition.