Queen Trishala on Her Bed

Currently not on view

Queen Trishala on Her Bed

1432

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Queen Trishala is shown reclining on her bed on the night of her conception of Mahavira, the last of the twenty-four Jain saviors of this world-cycle. The text on this page gives a luscious description of her chamber: heaps of flowers and burning herbs transform the room into a veritable pot of scented incense; pillows at head and foot make the center of her bed feel like the soft sand on the banks of the Ganges river; linen, towel, and curtains are so fine that to touch them is like stroking fur, cotton, or butter. Visually this sumptuousness is indicated by elaborately patterned textiles, a plethora of pearls, and a richly ornamented bed. On this bed the queen sleeps and dreams the Fourteen Auspicious Dreams, although the conventions of painting dictate that she be depicted with open eyes.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Queen Trishala on Her Bed
From a manuscript of the Kalpasutra

Date:

1432

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 5 3/16 × 13 1/16 inches (13.2 × 33.2 cm)

Classification:

Books/Manuscripts/Information Artifacts

Credit Line:

Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1967

Accession Number:

1967-226-1(11a,b)

Geography:

Made in Gujarat, Gujarat Region, India, Asia

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Currently not on view