Caturvimsati-patti of Rsabha
India
Calukyan Period, 10th century
Bronze Alloy
12 x 6 inches, Bronze
Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, Southern India
Rsabha stands upon a lotus that seems to be emerging from the rectangular pedastel below. Lotus flowers emerge from either side supporting two divinities: the corpulent make yaksa named Sarvanubhuti and the voluptuous mother goddess Ambika. The former holds his usual attributes connoting prosperity. Ambika holds mangoes in her right hand. The openwork quality of this sculptural assembly of the twenty-four Jinas of our age lends it an overall sense of delicacy that especially characterizes bronzes made in the Deccan during the time of the Later Calukyan dynasty. Almost as much empty space remains between the figural and ornamental imagery, in contrast to the much denser presentations found on caturvimsati- pattas from the north. The superstructure is supported by a series of slender pillars; the simplicity of the pillars and other architectural elements bespeaks a tenth century date, for by the eleventh century such features became far more elaborate. The surrounding Jinas sit in the half cross-legged meditation posture (ardha- padmasana or ardha- paryankasana) that is typical for Jina icons made in southern India. None is provided with a cognizance, or symbol by which he can be identified. However, Parsva, the twenty- third Jina, can be recognized at the top of the composition, for he sits under the hooded serpent. The first Jina of our age, Rsabha, is featured as the main central icon in Kyotsagara (body abandonment posture), and he can be identified by the locks of hair that lie over his shoulders and by the leaves of the Asoka tree that hang in the overlapping lappets on either side of his triple parasol; this is the type of tree under which he sat in his first meditation after his renunciation. The crown of his head has virtually no usnisa, which is not unusual in images from northern Karnataka in particular, and it is covered with flat curls, which is typical for Jina bronzes of this region.

-Victorious Ones, Jain Images of Perfection, Rubin Museum of Art, Granoff