The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Brahman Rishabhadatta's speech, folio 5 from a Kalpa-sutra

c. 1475–1500
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The "further eye" extending beyond the bounds of the face is a characteristic of 15th-century painting.

Description

Manuscripts of the Kalpa-sutra are sacred embodiments of Jain doctrine. For this reason, they are worthy of beautification, adornment, and celebration by the inhabitants of heaven, such as the celestial dancers under cusped arches on this page.

The commissioning of a manuscript is believed to cleanse donors of the karmic effects of past wrongdoing. Wealthy donors gained prestige in the community with the costly production of a sacred manuscript.
  • ?–1979
    (Asian Decorative Interiors, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1979–
    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. 5, p. 15.
  • Text and Image in Southern Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
    Indian Gallery 109 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 28–May 8, 2001).
    Conserving the Past for the Future. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-May 6, 2001).
    Year in Review: 1979. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 13-March 9, 1980).
  • {{cite web|title=Brahman Rishabhadatta's speech, folio 5 from a Kalpa-sutra|url=false|author=|year=c. 1475–1500|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1979.23