Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay Disciple: Folio 141 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya1287 · Study 1971.127.b

Context from the museum

Palm leaf was the preferred material for sacred texts before the 1400s in India. The text here was often appended to the Kalpa-sutra, the most sacred book of Jainism. This story concerns the life of a Jain teacher named Kalaka, a prince who developed the ability to work magic after he become a monk, inspired by the teachings of a holy man. The painting on this page shows a monk clad in white, indicating his affiliation with the Shvetambara (“white clad”) branch of Jainism. It is the second to the last page of the manuscript and includes the beginning of the colophon, which contains information about when and where this manuscript was produced.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The colophon begins on this page; the next page contains the date when the manuscript was written.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay Disciple: Folio 141 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya is 33 cm wide and 5.6 cm high, equivalent to approximately 13.0 × 2.2 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 5.89:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.02 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 11.0% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 133.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay Disciple: Folio 141 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 33 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?