Lot 69
Southeast Asia, Burma, ca. 19th century CE. A lovely example of a prayer book known as the Kammavaca with 11 interior wooden leaves and 2 wooden cover panels, each covered in thick layers of red lacquer and gold-colored pigment. The front cover panel as well as each leaf features several lines of Burmese script along with intricate red scrollwork and foliage motifs. Flanking the text on the front cover are 2 standing deities with arms held towards the windowed text, and the back cover panel bears images of 7 standing deities. A yellow braided cord binds each of the covers and pages together so that the pages can be flipped towards the reader until their reading has finished. Size: 21.2" L x 5.2" W (53.8 cm x 13.2 cm)
By far the most ornate of Burmese paper and palm leaf manuscripts, the Kammavaca is a monastic ceremony or higher ordination text. A volume of the Kammavaca, such as this example, consists of one, seven, or all nine of the khandakas, which are excerpts from the Pali Vinaya-pitaka, the monastic code of discipline used by Theravada Buddhists. These manuscripts are traditionally commissioned by a Burmese family and presented to the presiding monk upon their son's obligatory entrance to monkhood through a ceremony known as the upasampada.
Provenance: Whisnant Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA acquired prior to 2000
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#170224
- Condition: Minor abrasions to lacquer on most leaves and both covers, otherwise intact and very good. Small stain on lefthand side of front cover. Great luster across most surfaces.
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