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

View Similar Items

19th C. Burmese Buddhist Gilded Manuscript

Antique Thai Buddhist Banner Painting

19th Century Antique Tibetan Hand Painted Buddhist Thangka

Antique Burmese Set of Sixteen Double-Sided Kammavaca or Buddhist Manuscripts

Antique Thai Buddhist Scene Painting on Cloth, Rattanakosin School

Chinese Stone Dali Panels

China Natural Stone "Painting" Moonlight Earth

Korean Folding Chaekgeori Painted Scholar Floor Screen

Magnificent And Fine Chinese Six-Panel Screen

Large Framed Japanese Buddhist Amida Temple Hall Painting, Mid-19th Century

Antique 18th Century Tibetan Buddhist Gilded Iron Lama's Pen Case Derge 1700

19th Century Chinese Inkstone

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

Antique 19th Century Burmese Scholar's Objects

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

19th C. Burmese Buddhist Gilded Manuscript

$1,515

Antique Thai Buddhist Banner Painting

Located in Point Richmond, CA

Antique Thai Buddhist Banner Painting, multi-coloured tempera and gold leaf on cloth, depicting Buddha Descending From Tavatimsa Heaven. An illustration o...

Category

Antique 1850s Thai Other Paintings and Screens

Materials

Textile, Plexiglass

Antique Thai Buddhist Banner Painting

$8,000

19th Century Antique Tibetan Hand Painted Buddhist Thangka

Located in Pomona, CA

Very beautiful and colorful Antique Tibetan Buddhist Thangka. It is all hand painted with Tibetan natural mineral painting material which can last for...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Paintings and Screens

Materials

Fabric

19th Century Antique Tibetan Hand Painted Buddhist Thangka

$1,575 Sale Price

30% Off

Antique Burmese Set of Sixteen Double-Sided Kammavaca or Buddhist Manuscripts

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

An antique Burmese set of sixteen double-sided Kammavaca or Buddhist manuscripts, written in Bali in red and black lacquer on a gold leaf ground. This set is accompanied by the original pair of gold leaf and red lacquer pictorial cover boards. Kammavaca are volumes consisting of extracts from the Theravadin Vinaya, that relates to the traditional ceremonies of monks. Together with a manuscript chest...

Category

Antique 1890s Scholar's Objects

Materials

Paper

Antique Burmese Set of Sixteen Double-Sided Kammavaca or Buddhist Manuscripts

$2,200 / item

Antique Thai Buddhist Scene Painting on Cloth, Rattanakosin School

Located in Point Richmond, CA

Antique Thai Buddhist Scene Painting on Cloth, Rattanakosin School, 19th Century. A classical scene of Prince Siddhartha renouncing the world of the pleasures of privilege. The centr...

Category

Antique 19th Century Thai Other Paintings and Screens

Materials

Canvas

Antique Thai Buddhist Scene Painting on Cloth, Rattanakosin School

$800

Chinese Stone Dali Panels

Located in Sherborne, GB

This is a set of four antique Chinese Dali stone panels which depict wonderful landscape images. The stone is set in an ebonized panel frame. They look wo...

Category