The Lion's Cave with Sthulabhadra and His Sisters, Folio 60 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutrac. 1450 · Study 1932.119.60.b

Context from the museum

This manuscript is open to a page with a painting that depicts the story of a Jain monk who transformed himself into a composite beast when his sisters, two nuns, came to visit him. Terrified, the nuns ran to a senior monk, at the lower left, who admonished their brother for his overly prideful display of power. Remarkably, this story is not told in the text itself, which contains only their names among a list of prominent Jain teachers. The painting would remind a reader of the story that is found in many commentaries to the text.

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

A detail to notice

The three red dots in the margins and the center occur only on the reverse side of the page; the obverse side has only one red dot in the center.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for The Lion's Cave with Sthulabhadra and His Sisters, Folio 60 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra is 25.7 cm wide and 12.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 10.1 × 4.9 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 2.06:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.03 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 8.6% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 137.2 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 The Lion's Cave with Sthulabhadra and His Sisters, Folio 60 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 25.7 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?