Artwork Page for Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

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

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

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 1949.227.71.a
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 tan fiber paper manuscript leaf is inked with eight rows of rounded dark script dotted with small red marks. Two circular holes puncture the centerline, each encircled by a ring of bright red pigment. The paper features a visible horizontal grain and slightly irregular, frayed edges along the top and bottom.

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

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