Shalibhadra Performing Austerities: Folio from a Shalibhadra Manuscript

In the upper register, the Jain Shalibhadra, born to great wealth, and his wife present a manuscript to two Jain nuns (or perhaps “widows” of renunciants) seated beneath a decorated tree that has leafy branches in the form of creepers found in Malwa paintings. In the lower scene, which is set on a contrasting ground, they pull out their own hair—an act of renunciation (diksa) that is the first step to embarking on life as a monk or nun. The painting contains many early Rajput conventions in terms of the depiction of space and the color palette employed, while the figural type can be compared to Marwar production.

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Overview

Creator : 

Anonymous

Collection : 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Date :

1725

Rights :

CC0

Copyright-free

You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Creative Commons

You can :

remix /  adapt this work even for commercial purposes, as long as you :

  • give appropriate credit and
  • license new creations under the identical terms.


Creative Commons

You can remix, adapt, and build upon this work, even commercially, as long as you:

  • credit the original creation. 


Creative Commons

Explore More