A brass image of the paradise of Nandishvara, dedicated by a woman named Srimantivai, Gujarat, 1416

Source: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/search/LotDetail.asp?sid=&intObjectID=3969937&SE=CMWCAT04+1183526+%2D562890513+&QR=M+1+59+Aqc0000900+1089477++Aqc0000900+&entry=india&SU=1&RQ=True&AN=60
(downloaded Aug. 2002)

"A Brass Image of Nandisvara Island. India, Gujarat, dated 1416. Of square section, modeled on all four sides with a standing Jina in shaped niches flanked by seated Jinas in relief, with a separately cast tiered cover cast with further seated Jinas, inscribed on the base indicating the donation of this piece in 1416 by a woman named Srimantivai. 9¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high.

Lot Notes: Nandisvara ('Continent of Rejoicing'), is a land of lush gardens and lotus-filled lakes, forming the outermost of the concentric island-continents of Jain cosmography. The nudity of the figures as well as the four-faced form with a total of 52 seated Jinas point to the Digambara sect. Representations of Nandisvara are worshiped during festivals, and this is a rare and striking example of its type."