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Palm Leaf Manuscript

Palm Leaf Manuscript

Culture: Thai

Date: 18th or 19th century
Medium: ink on palm leaf, cotton string, leather, paint and lacquer
Dimensions:
Overall (when closed): 5 1/2 x 26 1/4 x 3 1/8 in. (14 x 66.7 x 7.9 cm)
Credit Line:Museum Purchase
Object number: 1936.466.1
Pleated palm leaf manuscript pages are held together with cords running through each to hold it in place when closed. The manuscript is attached to a wooden lacquered bottom and top cover. A bundle of leaves, called phūk in Thai, was usually fastened together with two cotton cords, which were threaded through two holes pierced through the leaves of the entire manuscript. The painted scenes on the margins of the manuscripts on display here may show elements of the narrative of the Jataka Tales, stories of the previous lives of the Buddha.
In Collection(s)