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Thai

Manuscript and Covers, 1800s

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Thai

Title

Manuscript and Covers

Year

1800s

Medium

Palm leaves and silk cord

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • ink

Supports

  • palm leaf

Dimensions

6.4 x 57.5 x 10.8 cm (2 1/2 x 22 5/8 x 4 1/4 inches)

Place

Southeast Asia

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Books

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

33.247

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Text, Paratext, and Images

September 1, 2020 - July 24, 2021

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.

Sumptuous Expression

June 25 - October 10, 2004

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Manuscript and Covers with the accession number of 33.247. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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