The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 1, 2026

A horizontally oriented tan fiber paper leaf is inscribed with a line of dark script along the top. The narrow rectangular surface features a prominent horizontal grain and two punched circular holes. Uneven red smudges are scattered across the leaf, while faint vertical lines segment portions of the text. The bottom edge is irregular, tapering towards the left.

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

fiber paper
Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
Educational Purchase Fund 1949.227.19.a
Location: Not on view

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.
  • ?-–1949
    William E. Ward [1922-2004], Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1949–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1700|access-date=01 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1949.227.19.a