Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 2 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This accordion-fold Thai manuscript is dated Buddhist Era 2334 on opening B38, equivalent to 1791 CE (early Bangkok period, the reign of King Rama I). The month and the day are also stated, and possibly the name of the scribe and the artist or artists. The text is in Cambodian thin script and consists of the "Seven Tamnan," or seven extracts from the Abhidhamma, in the Pali language. The repertory of illustrations is similar to that of a famous late-Ayutthaya period manuscript, at Wat Hua Krabü (or Wat Sisa Krabü), Bangkok, dated equivalent to 1734. Its text consists of the seven extracts from the Abhidhamma, in thick Cambodian script. (Thin Cambodian script generally replaced the thick script around the last quarter of the 19th century.) The style of the painting in the manuscript can be traced back to that of Wat Hua Krabü. (This is illustrated in full in the book Samut Khoi, by Khrongkan Supsan Moradok Watthanatham Thai pp. 318-55.) In general, the "illustrations" serve as decorations for the text rather than directly depicting the textual content. There are some exceptions, as in opening B22: Meditations on Corpses. DESCRIPTION NEEDS TO BE UPDATED.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
91761
label
Phra Malai and Other Buddhist Texts
core
obj
dtoType
manuscript
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
91761
sourceUrl
contentType
manuscript
stage
normalized
title
Phra Malai and Other Buddhist Texts
description
This accordion-fold Thai manuscript is dated Buddhist Era 2334 on opening B38, equivalent to 1791 CE (early Bangkok period, the reign of King Rama I). The month and the day are also stated, and possibly the name of the scribe and the artist or artists. The text is in Cambodian thin script and consists of the "Seven Tamnan," or seven extracts from the Abhidhamma, in the Pali language. The repertory of illustrations is similar to that of a famous late-Ayutthaya period manuscript, at Wat Hua Krabü (or Wat Sisa Krabü), Bangkok, dated equivalent to 1734. Its text consists of the seven extracts from the Abhidhamma, in thick Cambodian script. (Thin Cambodian script generally replaced the thick script around the last quarter of the 19th century.) The style of the painting in the manuscript can be traced back to that of Wat Hua Krabü. (This is illustrated in full in the book Samut Khoi, by Khrongkan Supsan Moradok Watthanatham Thai pp. 318-55.) In general, the "illustrations" serve as decorations for the text rather than directly depicting the textual content. There are some exceptions, as in opening B22: Meditations on Corpses. DESCRIPTION NEEDS TO BE UPDATED.
provenance
Konrad and Sarah M. Bekker, Arlington, Virginia, 1950 - 1969. Sale, Sloans & Kenyon, Chevy Chase, Maryland, September 20, 2013, no. 354; purchased by Dr. Hiram W. Woodward, Jr., 2013; purchased by the Walters Art Museum, 2014.
date
1791 (early Bangkok)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
manuscripts
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
dimensions
units
cm
width
12.5
height
64.5
depth
7
reign
Rama I
med
ink and color on paper
cul
creator_ids
2501
collection_ids
SEA
MSS
exhibition_ids
none
dimensionsRaw
Closed H: 4 15/16 × W: 25 3/8 × D: 2 3/4 in. (12.5 × 64.5 × 7 cm); Folio H: 9 13/16 × W: 25 3/8 in. (25 × 64.5 cm)
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
0faa177c5b337b92
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
378d00fb65f71ba8
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no