Jain Meditational Implement

Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Main Building

Jain Meditational Implement

Early 20th century

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

This type of sculpture is called a siddhapratima yantra, a magical diagram of a liberated soul. Jains believe that every living being has an eternal soul which, because of karma (former deeds), is destined to suffer in this world through endless rebirths. Like Hindus and Buddhists, Jains strive to break the cycle of rebirths, thus liberating the soul from the body and ending suffering. This sculpture ingeniously suggests that the goal of liberation from the human body has been accomplished-the artist has cut out a human form from a sheet of metal and left only an empty space in its place.

Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Jain Meditational Implement
Jain Meditational Image of a Soul Liberated from the Cycle of Time (Siddhapratima Yantra)

Date:

Early 20th century

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Brass

Dimensions:

7 1/2 × 3 7/8 × 1 5/8 inches (19 × 9.8 × 4.1 cm)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994

Accession Number:

1994-148-132

Geography:

Made in Rajasthan, western India, India, Asia

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Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Main Building

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