Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c7.17

c7.17

After discussing the two contemporary painted wooden covers in detail, it will be interesting to point out certain differences such as the preferences for curves in one and angles in the other. The painted cover depicting Jinadatta has a preference for curves, while the painted cover depicting scenes from the historical discussion between Devasūri and Kumuda-chandra prefers angles and straight lines. In the former, there are greater vestiges of the art of Ajaṇṭā and Ellura, while in the latter, we see Western Indian in its full-fledged state. All these differences are self-explanatory if we bear in mind that the period, to which these two paintings belong, is that of the transition, when the painters had not yet absolutely discarded the ancient tradition, though the new Western Indian art had undergone great changes and had formulated its own set of conventions, which the later painters followed unquestioningly.