Indian Temple Fragment with Deity Motif

Two small seated figures under pointed arches, tucked under a ceiling of blue-white relief.

This temple fragment with deity motif is Jain, from Bhojpur, Kutch District, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is carved & painted stone. Jain texts picture the universe as shaped like a man, broad at the top, narrow in the middle and broad again at the bottom. Low wide panel on a wooden base, with a seated figure in each of two arched niches. Pierced square borders and tall ribbed uprights fill the area around them, and the pale paint is worn and dusty. It is 35.25 inches wide, 7 deep and 21.5 high.

Snug, symmetrical, and apparently content with their room.