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Snakes and ladders

Snakes and ladders
(Gyanbazi)
 (c. 1900)

Medium
opaque watercolour on paper
Measurements
78.2 × 65.0 cm (image) 81.6 × 68.5 cm (sheet)
Place/s of Execution
Rajasthan, India
Inscription
inscribed in ink (in Rajasthani in a version of Devanagari script) u.l.:
inscribed in ink (in a version of Devanagari script) c.:
inscribed in ink (in a version of Devanagari script) c.l.:
inscribed in ink (in a version of Devanagari script) c.r.:
Accession Number
2013.106
Department
Asian Art
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of John McCarthy in memory of Edwin and Margot McCarthy through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2013
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation
Gallery location
Not on display
Physical description
The image is painted in green, yellow, black, blue and red opaque watercolour on paper. It represents the Jain version of the Snakes and Ladders game board, known in parts of India as Gyanbazi, the game of knowledge. In this example the grid of 84 squares is superimposed over a temple structure and a cosmic being, Loka Purusha, with rural scenes in the lower corners, thus combining two backgrounds commonly used in Jain gyanbazi paintings which respectively represent the spiritual realm and the world of man. Each square has an inscription in devanagari script in black ink, describing an action and its consequences. Images of black snakes and green ladders are superimposed over the grid. The sun and moon gods appear in the upper corners, and a female devotee approaches the temple from the right. The entire image is enclosed in a floral border and text above.