Indian Temple Fragment Depicting Feline

Hunched gray beast with its head bowed, looking very much like it lost the argument.

This temple fragment depicting feline is Jain, from Gujarat, India, and dates to the mid 18th century. It is carved & painted stone. Another kind of Jain cosmological painting shows historical figures and their attributes, such as Jina Parshva, the earliest Jain leader with historical evidence, who is meant to illustrate compassion. Pale gray carved figure crouches on a low base, its head tilted down with a ridged mane and pointed ears. The body is rounded and heavy-set, the stone surface is dry and soft with traces of whitish residue. It is 5 inches wide, 24 deep and 18 high.

Brooding, big-shouldered, and completely sure of its sulk.