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Parshvanatha

Sculpture
2nd century (made)
Place of origin
Mathura (made)

Head of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara or Jina, protected by the seven-headed Naga (cobra) hood. Carved in high relief in the characteristic mottled red sandstone of Mathura. The head has been broken away from a full-length figure of the Jina, at the level of the neck. The head has a round, beardless face, long-lobed ears, and smooth cap-like hair. The sevenfold snake hood (Seshaphani) is that of the Yaksha Dharanendra, and on top of each of the heads is a symbol, one or two of which are those of earlier Tirthankaras (Swastika, Thunderbolt and Lotus(?) ).

Object details

Categories
Jain
Sculpture
Religion
Object type
Sculpture
TitleParshvanatha (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved red mottled sandstone
Sandstone
Carving
Brief description
The Jina Parshvanatha, sculpture, red sandstone, Mathura, C2.
Physical description
Head of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara or Jina, protected by the seven-headed Naga (cobra) hood. Carved in high relief in the characteristic mottled red sandstone of Mathura. The head has been broken away from a full-length figure of the Jina, at the level of the neck. The head has a round, beardless face, long-lobed ears, and smooth cap-like hair. The sevenfold snake hood (Seshaphani) is that of the Yaksha Dharanendra, and on top of each of the heads is a symbol, one or two of which are those of earlier Tirthankaras (Swastika, Thunderbolt and Lotus(?) ).
Dimensions
  • Width: L 21cm
  • Height: 15.5cm
Style
Early Kushan
Object history
Purchased from Imre Schwaiger, Esq, a well-known dealer based in Delhi.
Subjects depicted
Jain
Snake
Parshvanatha
Dharanendra
Bibliographic references
  • Barnard, Nick, Arts of Asia, Vol. no. 46, no 1, "The Jain Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum". January-February 2016 p. 97, no. 6.
  • Haworth-Booth, Mark; Indian Sculpture: A Travelling Exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1971 No. 55
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IM.74-1927

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O450778/parshvanatha-sculpture/
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