How the transition to paper transformed medieval Indian manuscript art
In short: Explore how the introduction of paper from Iran revolutionized Jain religious art. This lecture by a Metropolitan Museum of Art curator reveals how a shift in materials allowed for greater artistic complexity while preserving ancient spiritual formats.
In medieval India, the Jain community was a primary patron of the 'art of the book.' While palm-leaf manuscripts date back to around the tenth century, the introduction of paper from Iran after the twelfth century enabled artists to create larger compositions and more intricate decorative borders.
By the late fourteenth century, deluxe manuscripts featured lavish materials like gold, silver, and ultramarine derived from imported lapis lazuli. These works were commissioned by Svetambara Jains as a form of merit-making, intended for donation to temple libraries.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Identifying Jainism in Indian Art
- Also: www.academia.edu — Investigating Jainism: Visual Art, Text and History
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