Artwork Page for Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (verso)

Details / Information for Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (verso)

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (verso)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

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Medium
fiber paper
Measurements
Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Educational Purchase Fund 1949.227.28.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Palm leaf material is still used for manuscripts in Sri Lanka. The palm leaves are prepared first by boiling them, drying them in the sun, and then rubbing them with oils. Scribes then use a metal stylus to incise the text. Then charcoal powder is wiped across the pages, filling in only the inscribed lines.
A horizontally oriented fiber paper manuscript leaf in muted tan features a prominent horizontal grain and worn edges. Two small circular holes are punched through the long, narrow rectangle. Faint reddish-orange markings flow across the center, composed of a circular motif around the left hole, delicate geometric lines in the middle, and a curved stroke near the right hole. These minimalist markings appear weathered against the textured, fibrous surface.

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (verso)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

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