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 1949.227.74.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.
Fine black script is inked on a horizontally oriented, textured tan fiber leaf. Two circular holes puncture the horizontal midline, dividing the surface. Multiple rows of rhythmic, looping characters fill the space, surrounding the apertures. The fibrous material features a visible horizontal grain and uneven, worn edges at both ends. The composition is defined by the script's dense, fine lines and the negative space of the two central punctures.

Leaf from a Buddhist Manuscript (recto)

c. 1700

Sri Lanka, Singhalese, Late 17th century

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