Brass Pali Manuscript

The object in question is a Burmese Buddhist manuscript. The majority of the Burmese population is Theravada Buddhist (Braun, 2012). The language of Theravada Buddhism is Pali, which is what the manuscripts are written in. One of the common texts to find in Burmese Buddhism are Kammavācā manuscripts, which the object in question likely is. The contents of Kammavācā manuscripts range from one to all nine khandakas, which are extracts from the Vinaya Pitaka (monastic disciplinary code handed down by the Theravadin sect from what is now known as Sri Lanka). The order of these chapters as they appear in the manuscript may vary but usually contain the Upansampadā and the Kathina follows. Three types of Kammavācā manuscripts were produced historically: ones written under royal patronage with the finest decorations and calligraphy, ones for official classes, and ones for sale at pagodas for commoners. Kammavācā manuscripts are still produced in central Burma in present day. Kammavācā manuscripts range from eleven to eighteen leaves and each leaf ranges from three to seven lines per page. In context Kammavācā manuscripts are sometimes touched or held by a monk during the ordination ceremony or used in other ceremonies. When the manuscripts are presented during ceremony they are usually wrapped in cloth. The manuscripts presented during the ceremony are commissioned by donors.

Kammavācā manuscripts are made from a variety of materials throughout time. Palm leaves were the original substrate and the earliest decorated palm leaf Kammavācā manuscript is dates to 1683. The second half of the nineteenth century is where woven bamboo, cloth, and copper substrates were introduced. The manuscript in question is mostly a brass substrate with one leaf of lacquered textile. The cloth is called wu-lè in Burmese and is fabric taken from old monk robes stiffened with coats of lacquer. Silver and ivory were also used as substrates but the sources do not specify a time period when this began. The
cover boards (called kyan) are usually a wooden substrate, though are not always present with the manuscript likely due to disassociation.

Depending on the substrate the leaves of the manuscripts can be painted with cinnabar, gilded, and/or inlayed with mother of pearl. Examples of palm leaf, brass, copper, and silver substrates painted with cinnabar then gilded are present in literature on Kammavācā manuscripts. Unfortunately the cinnabar, gilding, and lacquer do not always stay well adhered to the metal
substrates. The kyan are often decorated with cinnabar and gilded as well, sometimes even decorated with stained glass or mother of pearl inlay. On gilded manuscripts the negative space of the gilding is where the red cinnabar underneath shows through, leaving designs with great contrast. The designs range from geometric to floral to figural. Representations of the Buddha, devas (deities), or mythical creatures are often on the first and last pages, cover boards, and in the wide margins of decoration. The text in Kammavācā manuscripts is usually written in a dark brown lacquer. The lacquer is extracted from the tree then after it’s boiled and sieved it’s ready to apply to any surface. The lacquer is mixed with a little cinnabar to give it the dark brown coloring, otherwise it would be black. The text and page letters are initially carved written in cinnabar by the scribe, then filled with the lacquer ink by the assistant. Shwe-zawa is the name of the technique used to apply lacquer and decorative leaf to the manuscripts.

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