India - Jain Yellow bronze, a copper alloy probably rich in zinc. An important Jain votive altar to the twenty-four Tirthankaras (Caubīsī) in pierced brass. - 23.5 cm
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Current bid
€ 100
Reserve price not met
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 1,200 - € 1,600
 | €100 |
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Important Jain votive altar in yellow copper alloy, likely brass, a single-piece pierced casting from western India (Rajasthan or Gujarat) dating to the first half of the 19th century, with a central Jina seated in meditation flanked by a grand dais and twenty-three accompanying Jinas, possibly Mahāvīra, with incised reverse inscription, patina-bronze surface, dimensions 23.5 × 15.3 × 7 cm and weight 1,660 g, in very good condition; provenance Collection privée, Belgium, from a gallery/private owner, acquired in 2025.
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Description from the seller
Description
Important votive Jain votive statue in yellow copper alloy, probably brass, cast in a single carved openwork piece. Western India, probably Rajasthan or Gujarat, first half of the 19th century.
The composition belongs to the traditional type of Caubīsī or caturviṃśati-paṭṭa, gathering the twenty-four Tirthankaras. The principal Jina is depicted seated in meditation, hands joined in the lap, beneath an imposing honorary dais flanked by two elephants. He is surrounded by twenty-three small Jinas arranged in a sacred architecture that is particularly developed.
The central Tirthankara bears a śrīvatsa lozenge on the chest. Two animals placed at the level of the throne could be interpreted as lions and may point toward a representation of Mahāvīra, whose emblem traditionally is the lion. However, this identification must remain cautious: these animals may also belong to the generic décor of the siṃhāsana, or throne with lions, and no individual lāñchana is sufficiently distinct to permit a definite attribution. The principal Jina is therefore presented as possibly Mahāvīra, without certainty.
The reverse bears an important inscription incised by hand after casting, laid out in several horizontal and vertical registers, in a Nāgarī/Devanāgarī-type script. Several honorific śrī formulas seem recognizable, but the text has not been transcribed or translated with sufficient certainty. Consequently, no date is claimed on the basis of this inscription.
The piece displays a dense and substantial casting, a hollow base, numerous openings, and fine irregularities characteristic of traditional lost-wax casting. The surface retains a brown-gold patina, localized coppery or pinkish tones, some green traces, and ancient deposits in the hollows.
State of preservation: very good structural condition. One-piece casting, without crack, break, weld, restoration, or movable part. Ancient wear, small casting irregularities, light shocks and patina variations consistent with age and cult use of the object.
Provenance: RM Lefevre Collection, Belgium, formed between 1979 and 2009; by descent in 2023.
Dimensions: 23.5 × 15.3 × 7 cm
Weight: 1,660 g
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/50twluidyk1xlt9r291ch/AGABpU_t6pfkQhpgfCgOiL8?rlkey=cl42tckknf44lt1bzrp6s912q&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDescription
Important votive Jain votive statue in yellow copper alloy, probably brass, cast in a single carved openwork piece. Western India, probably Rajasthan or Gujarat, first half of the 19th century.
The composition belongs to the traditional type of Caubīsī or caturviṃśati-paṭṭa, gathering the twenty-four Tirthankaras. The principal Jina is depicted seated in meditation, hands joined in the lap, beneath an imposing honorary dais flanked by two elephants. He is surrounded by twenty-three small Jinas arranged in a sacred architecture that is particularly developed.
The central Tirthankara bears a śrīvatsa lozenge on the chest. Two animals placed at the level of the throne could be interpreted as lions and may point toward a representation of Mahāvīra, whose emblem traditionally is the lion. However, this identification must remain cautious: these animals may also belong to the generic décor of the siṃhāsana, or throne with lions, and no individual lāñchana is sufficiently distinct to permit a definite attribution. The principal Jina is therefore presented as possibly Mahāvīra, without certainty.
The reverse bears an important inscription incised by hand after casting, laid out in several horizontal and vertical registers, in a Nāgarī/Devanāgarī-type script. Several honorific śrī formulas seem recognizable, but the text has not been transcribed or translated with sufficient certainty. Consequently, no date is claimed on the basis of this inscription.
The piece displays a dense and substantial casting, a hollow base, numerous openings, and fine irregularities characteristic of traditional lost-wax casting. The surface retains a brown-gold patina, localized coppery or pinkish tones, some green traces, and ancient deposits in the hollows.
State of preservation: very good structural condition. One-piece casting, without crack, break, weld, restoration, or movable part. Ancient wear, small casting irregularities, light shocks and patina variations consistent with age and cult use of the object.
Provenance: RM Lefevre Collection, Belgium, formed between 1979 and 2009; by descent in 2023.
Dimensions: 23.5 × 15.3 × 7 cm
Weight: 1,660 g
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/50twluidyk1xlt9r291ch/AGABpU_t6pfkQhpgfCgOiL8?rlkey=cl42tckknf44lt1bzrp6s912q&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
India - Jain
Century/timeframe
XIXe siècle - 1820 à 1860
Name of object
An important Jain votive altar to the twenty-four Tirthankaras (Caubīsī) in pierced brass.
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2025
Material
Yellow bronze, a copper alloy probably rich in zinc.
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Very good +
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
23.5 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1979
Width
15.3 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
7 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
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The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
