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 1949.227.37.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 long, horizontally oriented tan fiber leaf is inscribed with six rows of dark, undulating script. The rounded characters densely pack the textured surface, following the material's horizontal grain. Two small circular holes are punched through the manuscript, each framed by a soft ring of red pigment. These looping forms create a rhythmic pattern against the rectangular backdrop, punctuated by the red-ringed openings positioned on either side of the center.

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

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