Indian Temple Fragment Depicting Lion with Crossed Paws

Resting lion with an orange mane, rosy cheeks and gray patches where the paint left.

This temple fragment depicting lion with crossed paws is Jain, from Bhojpur, Kutch District, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is carved & painted stone. Manusyaloka paintings, also called Maps of the Human World, show the universe as a cosmic wheel of time in which individual lives are only pin pricks. Stone beast lies with its head up and its paws forward on a thick rectangular plinth. Orange paint covers the mane in a rough texture, pink sits on the face, and gray bare stone shows across the body. It is 22 inches wide, 8 deep and 17 high.

Faded finery, still carried off with a certain pride.