Lot 171: An Indian Jain Cosmological Pata of the Cosmic...
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An Indian Jain Cosmological Pata of the Cosmic Man (Lokapurusha), Gujarat, 17th Century.
A rare Jain textile painting (pata) depicting the Lokapurusha, or “Cosmic Man, ” rendered in opaque pigments with gold highlights. The figure embodies the Jain conception of the universe, mapped upon an anthropomorphic form divided into geometric registers filled with deities, celestial beings, sacred diagrams, and cosmological realms.
The head and upper body represent the celestial worlds, the torso illustrates the heavens and middle realms, while the lower body depicts earthly and subterranean zones, with detailed imagery of animals, mortals, and karmic cycles. Surrounding inscriptions in Devanagari provide cosmological explanations, enhancing the didactic function of the painting.
Approximately 82.5 x 29.5cm
Provenance: Formerly preserved in a Jain household collection in Gujarat; later acquired through established Indian dealers in the mid-20th century; subsequently exported under ASI regulations and held in a respected private collection in London.
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