The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Monk preaching to a disciple with a lay audience, folio 2 (recto) from a Parshvanatha Charitra (Life and Stories of Lord Parshva) of Bhavadeva-suri

Monk preaching to a disciple with a lay audience, folio 2 (recto) from a Parshvanatha Charitra (Life and Stories of Lord Parshva) of Bhavadeva-suri

c. 1275–1300
Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
Overall: 6.7 x 32.4 cm (2 5/8 x 12 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.125.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The book on the stand is called "substitute teacher" and refers to the monk's legitimate lineage of knowledge.

Description

The scene of a senior monk teaching his disciple emphasizes the importance of oral transmission of stories and knowledge. Both wear the white robes of the Shvetambara sect, have whisk brooms for clearing the ground of living things, and hold shields in front of their mouths to prevent harm to insects that might fly in while they speak. Between them, on a tripod, rests a sacred manuscript with letters written on the side and flowers placed on top. Below, two women and two men, possibly the donors who paid for the production of the manuscript, press their hands together in veneration.
  • ?–1971
    (Sander L. Feldman, Washington, DC, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1971–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Reproduced and mentioned: cat. no. 1, Figure 1xii, pp. 6-7.
    Coomaraswamy, Ananda K., and Richard J. Cohen. Essays on Jaina Art. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in association with Manohar Publishers & Distributors, 2003. p. 49
  • Text and Image in Southern Asia​ (Indian Painting and Himalayan rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Monk preaching to a disciple with a lay audience, folio 2 (recto) from a Parshvanatha Charitra (Life and Stories of Lord Parshva) of Bhavadeva-suri|url=false|author=|year=c. 1275–1300|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.125.a