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Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com . Creator Nationality: Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian Creator Dates/Places: South Indian Creator Active Place: South Indian Creator Name-CRT: South Indian Title: Tirthankara View: Full View Creation Start Date: 600 Creation End Date: 733 Creation Date: 7th-early 8th century Creation Place: India, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu Object Type: Sculpture Classification Term: Bronzes Materials and Techniques: Copper alloy Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm) AMICA Contributor: Asia Society Owner Location: New York, New York, USA ID Number: 1979.011 Credit Line: Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection Rights: http://www.asiasociety.org Context: Tirthankaras are savior-saints in Jainism, a South Asian religion founded at about the same time as Buddhism by Vardhamana Mahavira (c. 540-468 BCE). Practiced today primarily in western and northern India, Jainism stresses nonviolence toward all living things and the practice of austeries. The term Jainism is derived from jina, the name given to twenty-four principal adepts and teachers of the religion. These figures, also known as tirthankaras, or "river-forders," are the principal focus of Jain art, and identified in the visual arts by a mark on the chest. The nakedness of this tirthankara indicates that he belongs to the Digambara or 'sky-clad' sect of Jainism, which is the more austere of the two primary branches of the religion. His erect, motionless stance and elongated arms and earlobes are physical marks that indicate his spiritual advancement, and his posture and downcast eyes show that he is in meditation. He has the same idealized body used for Buddhist and Hindu divinities, however, the depiction of a roll of flesh at the waistline appears to be more common in Jain sculpture. The small leaflike mark on the upper right of his chest may have been intended to distinguish this tirthankara from the other twenty-three, however, it is not possible to identify him without further information. The lack of motion or activity in this figure embodies the Jain emphasis on living carefully and inflicting no harm. The full, compact, and somewhat fleshy physique date this sculpture to the 7th or early 8th century. Moreover, the shape of the face and treatment of the features are typical of works cast in and around Tamil Nadu, a region that was famous for its bronze casting during the 9th through 12th centuries. The treatment of the figure's hair as a cap of loose but full curls is also characteristic of early sculptures from that part of India. Related Document Description: Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 11. Related Document Description: Master Bronzes of India. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1965, cat. no. 18. AMICA ID: ASIA.1979.011 AMICA Library Year: 1998 Media Metadata Rights: Copyright, Asia Society AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder. Home
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