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śramaņa, Vol 56, No. 1-6/January-June 2005
The fourteenth century also saw the use of rich colours like ultramarine, crimson, gold and silver, and the artist's rediscovery of the ancient technique of representing water by the basket-weave pattern. This technique was created in the fifth century by the Guptā sculptors 2' but had been lost for centuries, only to reappear in the fourteenth century Jaina miniatures. The appearance of Sahi figures of Mongol origin in the Kālakācāryakathā is directly inspired by Persian art.
Other extraneous influences can be seen in the KalpasūtraKālakācāryakathāin the Devasana-pada Bhandara, Ahmedabad. It is written in rich gold ink and has lavish border decoration, which puts this manuscript in the 'opulent' category. The paintings follow the hieratic style except for the border decoration. The borders are sumptuously embellished with geometrical and floral designs, which are mostly drawn from contemporary fabrics and carpets. Other scenes include people bathing in a pool, dancing girls, a ship in high seas, and Rāga-Rāginis (the musical modes) represented by female figures; foreign soldiers, animal trainers and episodes from Persian epics are also portrayed. All the foreigners look like the Mongol Sahi figures; the trees have been drawn directly from Persian paintings. Such border decorations can also be seen in yet another opulent Kalpasūtra manuscript painted at Patan in 1501 and now in the Jamnagar collection. The border decoration shows the beginning of a new trendthe composite figure,22 a favourite theme of the later schools of Rajasthani painting.
The fifteenth century Jaina miniatures exhibit an exceedingly lavish use of gold pigment. This was perhaps due to the belief that manuscripts written and painted in gold ink would earn greater religious merit for their patrons. Unfortunately, the aesthetic beauty of the paintings was a major victim of this new trend. The miniatures lost the richness of their colours, the textile designs and the fine lines. Nevertheless, Jaina painting had a ritual role to play. Jaina miniatures were mass-produced or commissioned in order to gain
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