More Documents of Jaina and Gujarati Paintings

Author(s): Umakant P Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Before concluding we might note here some less known sources for study of painting patronised by the Jainas. They are the folders or holders of paper manuscripts which Jaina monks hold in their hands and read while giving discourses from texts. The sides facing the audiance are artistically decorated and painted with figures of eight auspicious symbols, or of scenes from Jaina Jatakas etc. There are some good examples in Muni Sri Punyavijayaji's collection in the L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad and in the collection of the Oriental Institute, Baroda.
The wooden or paper-maché boxes, in which bundles of manuscripts were stored and catalogued according to box-numbers, were also decorated with paintings of floral designs and with other scenes. Two very rare examples of such boxes with Mughal paintings exist in Muni Sri Punyavijaya's above-mentioned collections. Fig. 81 illust rates a (court) scene of Music and dancing on one of the sides of one of the above mentioned two boxes, painted on cloth and pasted on the paper-maché box. It dates from c. seventeenth century A. D. Fig. 82 is another scene of a lady playing an instrument before a prince, obtained on the smaller side of the box. Fig. 83 introduces a hunting scene.
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