Unknown Maker, Thai

This manuscript, written in Pali, a language used for sacred Buddhist sutras, is lettered in Khmer, a script widely used in Southeast Asia. Palm leaves have long served as a writing medium in Southeast and South Central Asia. This example from the 1800s likely references more ancient manuscripts in its material and form.

Because palm leaves are long and narrow, they inform the orientation and appearance of the text written on them. Words are incised with an iron stylus, and in order not to break the fiber, each letter is rounded to avoid sharp and abrupt turnings. The surface is then treated with lacquer sap or oil to make the text more legible as the liquid sinks into the incisions.