The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Vertically oriented manuscript page with a central person seated cross-legged, looking at us and surrounded by gold concentric circles broken evenly at four sections by two triangles. Against a solid blue background, orange-red and occasional green pops, with outlines in black or white. Gold outlined in black animal-like creatures fit between the seated person and concentric circles and in the corners of the page. Lines are loosely drawn, with colors bleeding across them.

Manuscript of the Jambudvipa-prajnapti-sutra (Description of Jambudvipa)

1513

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Marwar, Mandore

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Overall: 12.3 x 30.6 cm (4 13/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
On Loan from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 25.2014
Location: 242B Indian Painting

Did You Know?

This text discusses the geography, astronomy, and mathematics of Jambudvipa, one of the terrestrial worlds where human beings live, according to pan-Indian cosmology.

Description

As examples of the dominant artistic style from the early 1500s, these two Jain manuscript illuminations depict two-dimensional scenes using only three colors plus gold, black, and white. They do not illustrate the content of the text. Instead, they show the figure of an enlightened being at the center of concentric circles—an abstract vision of the transmission of his teachings into all directions. Below, an exalted monk passes on the teachings from an elaborate throne, surrounded by adoring followers and auspicious symbols. The images show that the text derives from those teachings. The horizontal format reflects the use of palm leaves for manuscript pages centuries before.
  • The Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Los Angeles, CA
  • Indian Painting of the 1500s: Continuities and Transformations. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 15, 2025-January 11, 2026).
    Text and Image in Southern Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
    Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Manuscript of the Jambudvipa-prajnapti-sutra (Description of Jambudvipa)|url=false|author=|year=1513|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/25.2014