Monk Teaching Lay Disciple: Colophon page from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya of Devachandra (1279): Art, History and Details

Monk Teaching Lay Disciple: Colophon page from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya of Devachandra (1279) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Before the use of paper, Indian books were written on palm leaves, bound by a string passed through the hole in the middle of the pages, which were turned horizontally. Often the paintings do not reference the story of the text because they may have functioned as adornments rather than illustrations. Virtuous scenes, such as a layman venerating a Jain monk, as seen on this page, were apparently thought to beautify a sacred text and made it more costly and visually appealing. By adding painted adornments, a donor can accrue greater religious merit.

Object facts

• Title: Monk Teaching Lay Disciple: Colophon page from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya of Devachandra
• Date: 1279
• Culture: Western India, Gujarat, Patan (Anahillapura), reign of King Sarangadeva of the Vaghela dynasty (1275-1297)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
• Dimensions: Overall: 4.7 x 35.6 cm (1 7/8 x 14 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1971.124

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade 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.