Book Review: More Documents of Jaina Paintings and Gujarati Paintings of Sixteenth and Later Centuries

Summary

P.C. Das Gupta reviews Dr. Umakant P. Shah’s book ‘More Documents of Jaina Paintings and Gujarati Paintings of Sixteenth and Later Centuries,’ praising it as a significant contribution to Indian art history. Shah’s volume catalogues a wealth of illustrations from Jaina and Gujarati manuscripts and copper plates, many reproduced for the first time. Das Gupta summarises Shah’s discussion of Eastern Indian paintings from Bengal and Orissa and his analysis of style and iconography in Western Indian art. He notes the author’s attention to early copper‑plate grants like the Sundarban grant of Srī Madommanapāla (1196 A.D.) and the Paramara Sīyaka charter, which capture a formal aesthetic in fluid line. Shah surveys rare Prakrit works such as the ‘Kuvālayamālā‑Kahā’ and ‘Saṁsāra‑Cakra‑Paṭa’ and provides translations of Sanskrit terms like ‘gulīka’ (fine brush) and ‘ālēkhana’ (line drawing). The reviewer highlights Shah’s analysis of stylistic developments from tenth‑ and eleventh‑century miniature paintings to the later Kālakācārya stories, tracing shifts in profile depiction and Persian influence. The book also examines illustrated folios of texts like the ‘Bālagopāla‑Stuti,’ ‘Bhāgavata Dāśamaskandha’ and ‘Rati‑Rahasya,’ and emphasises the continuing dedication of scholars to preserving Jaina art. Das Gupta concludes that the publication contains invaluable documentation and thoughtful commentary that will aid future researchers. He appreciates Shah’s meticulous scholarship and his role in bringing to light long‑overlooked paintings and illuminations from Gujarat and Rajasthan.