Indian Temple Fragment with Monkey Motif, Based

Long glazed frieze in teal and aqua, with little figures in shadow between the scrolls.

This temple fragment with monkey motif is Jain, from Bhojpur, Kutch District, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is carved & painted stone. The origins of Jainism are described as obscure, yet it carries a deep body of literature and doctrine, including artistic depictions of history, meditation, religious practice, ethics and cosmology. Horizontal fragment glazed in blue-green, divided into stepped panels of pierced foliage with small crouching figures between them. A battlement-like band runs along the top, and the glaze is crazed and chipped. It is 44.25 inches wide, 13 deep and 14.5 high.

Rich color, broken edges, and a sense of pageantry.