A JAIN LOTUS SIDDHACHAKRA WITH EYES FLANKING THE KALASHA, WESTERN INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

A JAIN LOTUS SIDDHACHAKRA WITH EYES FLANKING THE KALASHA, WESTERN INDIA, 19TH CENTURY Distemper and gold on cloth and mounted behind glass. The central Navapada surrounded by three rows of lotus petals. The outer row comprised of forty-eight gilt petals, sixteen petals in the center, and eight on the innermost row encompassing a central circle. Above is a ritual Kalasha pot flanked on either side by eyes. Nine Nav Nidhi pots along the upper register representing nine types of wealth. The Siddhachakra enclosed in a multicolored floral frame. Provenance: From a private collection in Spain since 1985. Collection of Carlos Cruañas Dalmau, Barcelona, Spain, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition with staining, folds, water marks, and minor losses. Dimensions: Image size 31 x 30 cm, Size incl. frame 49.8 x 49.5 cm Siddhachakra is a popular yantra or mandala (mystical diagram) used for worship in Jainism. Smaller Navapada (nine elements) are a type of Siddhachakra usually painted with Kalasha flanked by eyes and a core made up of lotus petals, the rows of which represent different concepts in Jainism: The center most row in the present lot of 8 ‘padas’ (petals) represent the eight members of Navapada; the row of sixteen petals represent the forty-nine basic sounds of the language; and the forty-eight petals are symbolic for the 49 attendant deities divided into twenty-four Yaksha and twenty-four Yakshini. Literature comparison: Compare a related Jain Yantra, dated to the 19th century in the Museum of Folk & Tribal Art, Gurgaon, India. Compare a related Siddhachakra from Rajasthan albeit much larger, 129.6 x 121.9 cm, dated to the 19th century, in the Art Institute of Chicago, accession number 2014.1194.