A JAIN SILVER- AND COPPER-INLAID BRASS ALTARPIECE OF TIRTHANKARA ANANTANATHA, DATED 1456

A JAIN SILVER- AND COPPER-INLAID BRASS ALTARPIECE OF TIRTHANKARA ANANTANATHA, DATED 1456 Western India. The deity seated on a cushioned throne supported by two addorsed lions and elephants. The tirthankara is surrounded by seated and standing figures of twenty-four Jinas alongside apsara, and other mythical creatures. The throne grotto with elephants flanking a round canopy, the deity’s eyes and auspicious srivasta marks picked out in silver, the altar finely executed in openwork with details in silver and copper inlays. Inscription: The back with a dedicatory inscription in Devanagari script, dating the present lot to Samvat 1512 (1456 AD). Provenance: Viennese private collection, acquired in the French antiques market. Condition: Good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities. Tiny nicks, small pits, minor losses, rubbing, and encrustations. The shrine warped at the base and partly cracked. Minor losses to inlays. Weight: 2,313 g Dimensions: Height 28.9 cm This bronze shrine depicts Anantanatha, the fourteenth Tirthankara. Anantanatha was born to King Sinhasena and Queen Suyasha at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Each tirthankara is accompanied by a symbol or emblem to help worshippers distinguish between similar figures, usually located on the shrine’s pedestal. As such, he can be recognized by the falcon emblem in the Svetambara Jain tradition, as seen here. The central figure is flanked by small Jinas and chauri bearers. Together with the two standing Jinas and two sitting Jinas, the central figure forms a ‘five-Jina image’ or a pancatirthi. The eminence of the central figure is suggested by its relative size and its augmentation with silver inlay, including the srivasta symbol on his chest. The cushion on which the Jina sits is alternately inlaid with silver and copper. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Jain Tirthankara Anatanatha, 33.1 cm high, dated 1498, in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 1986.1291. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2024, lot 776 Price: USD 9,600 or approx. EUR 8,800 converted at the time of writing Description: A silver and copper inlaid brass altarpiece with twenty-four Jinas, Western India, dated 1518/9 Expert remark: Compare the closely related composition and modeling, cast in open work. Note the later dating. Compare the similar size (29.2 cm).