Double-sided Leaf from a Chandana Malayagiri Varta series

Whereas most manuscript paintings made in Rajasthan in the eighteenth century were commissioned by Hindu rulers, this painting was made for a practitioner of the Jain religion, probably a wealthy merchant. The image illustrates a Jain text (though the precise subject is difficult to identify) and includes a small shrine with an icon of a Jain savior, known as a Jina or Tirthankara, on the right. The icon sits cross-legged in a meditative posture, and the temple has two white towers of the classic North Indian form. In a nice detail, a small pool in front of the temple reflects the surrounding architecture.