Lot 196: A JAIN PAINTING DEPICTING THE LESHYA-VRKSHA TREE OF SOUL, WESTERN INDIA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

This manuscript folio from Western India, likely originating in Gujarat or Rajasthan, is executed in opaque pigments and ink on paper. The central illustration depicts the Leshya-Vrksha, or the Tree of Soul-Colors, a significant parable in Jain theology. The scene features six figures of distinct colors—black, blue, green, red, yellow, and white—positioned at various levels of a fruit-bearing tree against a pink ground. Each figure represents a different mental state or karmic disposition through their method of gathering fruit. The illustration is bordered by yellow and red bands. To the right of the image are several columns of Devanagari script, likely from a cosmological text such as the Sangrahani Sutra. The lower left corner of the folio contains the Devanagari numerals 3 and 6, identifying this as folio number 36 from a larger manuscript. The work is mounted within a pink mat and a black wooden frame.

25 x 12cm painting