Indian Temple Fragment with Feline Motif, Based

Yellow-faced beast with black stripes grips the corner, and moss-green stains climb its legs.

This temple fragment with feline 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. Rough tan stone block on a wooden base with a pale blue panel of carved patterns behind a pale yellow animal figure. Black stripes mark its face and body, and green staining spreads across its lower parts. It is 20 inches wide, 11.5 deep and 14 high.

Bold stripes, mossy socks, and total confidence.