Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c10.47

c10.47

From the study of the illustrated palm-leaf and paper manuscripts, the following points of technique emerge: As a first step in painting, the ground in the reserved panels was painted in vermilion in the case of palm-leaf, and covered with gold or gold-leaf in the case of paper. After the major parts of the foreground and background were painted in red, care was taken to apply colours to the figures in such a way that their golden body-colour was always exposed to view. In later miniatures on paper, sometimes yellow was applied in place of gold and the red background was replaced by ultramarine. Then the outline distinguishing the limbs was added in black or any other colour. As the result of this convention, the faces of men and women, their garments and floral decoration, all appear to be painted in gold. A minute observation from one side reveals that sometimes the nose was painted red. After this, ultramarine was applied to garments and other parts where it was required. Likewise, in the palm-leaf period, colour washes were applied sometimes as an effort towards modelling. Blank spaces were left at times intentionally, but often they appear as a result of the flaking of gold-leaf, which was used invariably to represent the monastic garments. Besides the four colours mentioned above, a deep indigo blue is seen in old palm-leaf manuscripts.