Indian Temple Fragment with Peacock Motif

White peacock-like bird with a dark-blue speckled tail, standing under its own huge arched plume.

This temple fragment with peacock motif is Jain, from Bhojpur, Kutch District, India, and dates to the 18th century. It is carved & painted sandstone. 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. Carved bird in pale peeling paint, its neck curved into an S and its tail rising overhead like an umbrella. Dark blue spots dot the plumage, and the figure stands on a small stepped square base. It is 11.5 inches wide, 14 deep and 19 high.

Carries its own canopy and is not shy about it.