Antique Thai Buddhist Phra Malai Samut Khoi Illustrated Manuscript, 19th Century

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About the Item

An uncommonly fine and rare mid-19th century Phra Malai illustrated Buddhist manuscript from Thailand. Samut khoi accordion-style folding book with black lacquered paper covers featuring simple gold leaf decorations. Forty-four double-sided bi-fold pages tell the fantastical tales of the legendary Buddhist monk Phra Malai, popular in the canon of Thai Theravada Buddhism. Twenty-two vibrant and detailed hand-painted paired illustrations chronicling the monk’s adventures are found throughout, many with delicate gilt accents. Stories and information are conveyed in captions and full page passages elegantly and exactingly executed in Thai khom. On traditional handmade khoi paper with dark brown varnished edges. Used as chanting manuals for monks and novices, and often taking a year or more to complete, it was considered highly meritorious to produce a work that was free of mistakes in order to serve as a proper presentation volume for the recently deceased. We could find only two "corrections" in this entire piece: an erasure, and an erasure with an addition, of a couple lines of text next to each other on a final page, with both appearing to have been done well after completion. Being that most antique samut khoi manuscripts are held by monasteries, museums, universities, and private collectors, it’s very rare to find one of this exceptional quality and condition being offered in the United States, with the most recent comparable example selling at auction in 2017. Additional photos provided upon request.

Dimensions:
Height: 2.75 in (6.99 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Gold Leaf,Paper,Parchment Paper,Lacquered
Place of Origin:
Thailand
Period:
Mid-19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Mid-1800s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Covers: clean, structurally sound; mostly tiny/minor nicks/marks, primarily on edges; one corner shows more wear; minor warping. Pages: very clean; structurally sound w/ no tears; faint color bleed through; some faint moisture spots; minor warping.
Seller Location:
San Francisco, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU955018315532

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