Bidspirit auction | Dark stone sculpture of seated

Dark stone sculpture of seated Mahavira - Sculpture depicting Shri Vardhamana Mahavira (lit. ”the venerable, prosperous Great Hero”), the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of Jainism, shown here in a meditative pose seated in the lotus position (padmasana) with both hands in dhyanamudra. The figure is rendered with essential features and devoiding ornaments, following the iconography of the Digambara tradition, which emphasizes the Tirthankara’s radical renunciation of the material world. The identification as Mahavira is confirmed by an inscription engraved on the reverse: “… saṁvat 1350 … Śrī Vardhamāna … pratiṣṭhā … Ratnakumāra … saṅgha … jaina …” The epigraphic translation suggests: “In the year 1350 of the Vikrama Samvat, this image (pratimā) of the glorious Śrī Vardhamāna (Mahavira) was consecrated (pratiṣṭhā) by the donor Ratnakumāra, a member of the Jain community (jaina saṅgha).” The date corresponds to 1293 CE, providing a precise chronological context for the work. Provenance: Central Italy collection. h. 15.5 X 13 X p. 6.5 cm