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Oriya manuscript (unidentified), folio: A Courtier Visits an Ascetic. (Images and text on both sides; pair with 1985/2.144)

Indian

Artwork Details

Oriya manuscript (unidentified), folio: A Courtier Visits an Ascetic. (Images and text on both sides; pair with 1985/2.144)
19th century
Indian
charcoal dust and washes of color on incised palm leaf
1 1/2 in x 9 1/2 in (3.8 cm x 24.2 cm)
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink
1997/2.40

On Display

Not currently on display

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Description

In this scene, a young prince, seen at right in his bejeweled splendor, offers reverence to an ascetic. The sage, nearly naked and with matted hair, sits on an animal skin. His right hand is in the gesture of exposition, suggesting that he is preaching to his courtly audience.
The Orissan manuscript pages in this case are good examples of the palm-leaf book format, which dates back many centuries in northeast India. Artists would inscribe lines into the leaf, fill the incisions with charcoal, and often added color. Both sides of the leaf would be used, and a stack of leaves would be strung together through the hole in the center. Manuscript covers, usually made of wood, were placed on the top and bottom of the sheaf of leaves, and the whole manuscript would be wrapped in cloth to protect it from dust and moisture when not in active use.
Exhibited in "Divine Encounters, Earthly Pleasures: Twenty Centuries of Indian Art" at UMMA, 12/12/03–2/22/04.

Subject Matter:

The Orissan manuscript pages in this case are good examples of the palm-leaf book format, which dates back many centuries in northeast India. Artists would inscribe lines into the leaf, fill the incisions with charcoal, and often added color. Both sides of the leaf would be used, and a stack of leaves would be strung together through the hole in the center. Manuscript covers, usually made of wood, were placed on the top and bottom of the sheaf of leaves, and the whole manuscript would be wrapped in cloth to protect it from dust and moisture when not in active use.

Physical Description:

In this scene, a young prince, seen at right in his bejeweled splendor, offers reverence to an ascetic. The sage, nearly naked and with matted hair, sits on an animal skin. His right hand is in the gesture of exposition, suggesting that he is preaching to his courtly audience.

Usage Rights:

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