A JAIN SIDDHACHAKRA YANTRA
INDIA, GUJARAT OR RAJASTHAN, 18TH/ 19TH CENTURY
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000
Auction: 11 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
gouache and gold on cloth
Dimensions
89.5cm x 89.5cm
Provenance
Collected by Jean-Claude Ciancimino (1931-2014) in 1964.
Formerly, Seward Kennedy Collection (1925-2015), New York.
Footnote
This painting represents a Jain yantra—a sacred diagram that combines visual elements with inscribed mantras (incantations). Used in tantric rituals and meditative practices, yantras serve as tools to aid in spiritual focus and the pursuit of enlightenment. The example shown here is a Siddhachakra Mahāyantra, a large-scale yantra traditionally rendered in the form of a kalasha (ceremonial pot), adorned with an eye motif on either side.
For related examples, see J. Jain and E. Fischer, Jaina Iconography, 1978, Part 2; and P. Pal, The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles, 1995, p. 80, no. 49.