King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala Sit Alone to Discuss Her Dreams, Folio 24 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra (c. 1475–1500): Art, History and Details

King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala Sit Alone to Discuss Her Dreams, Folio 24 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra (c. 1475–1500) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

King Siddhartha is depicted on this page with his wife, Trishala, who had a series of auspicious dreams associated with her pregnancy. Her child Mahavira would grow up to become the historical founder of the Jain religion in the 500s BC. The royal couple is resplendently enthroned and bedecked in jewelry. Queen Trishala’s bodice was painted with a green pigment made from copper and vinegar; its high acid content caused the paper itself to disintegrate. The lavish use of gold and lapis lazuli indicates that it was a costly production.

Object facts

• Title: King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala Sit Alone to Discuss Her Dreams, Folio 24 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra
• Date: c. 1475–1500
• Culture: Western India, Gujarat, last quarter of the 15th century
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 12.5 x 25.7 cm (4 15/16 x 10 1/8 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1932.119.24.a

Collection credit

Edward L. Whittemore Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.