Hard-coded id of currently selected item: . JSON version of its record is available from Blacklight on e.g. ??
Metadata associated with selected item should appear here...
Or 13652
- Record Id:
- 032-001608340
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-001608340
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000035.0x000148
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100189194696.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Or 13652
- Title:
- Elephant treatise ตำราช้าง
- Scope & Content:
-
A treatise on mythical and natural elephants in khlong verse. With some mantra texts in Sanskrit.
Illustrations: 37 illustrated folios.
fol. 3: Ganesha, the son of Shiva
fol. 4: Erawan (Sanskrit: Airavata; Thai: เอราวัณ), the carrier of Indra, with two hermits, Thewakam on the left and Thewaput on the right side
fol. 5: Three hermits, Thewakam in the center, Thoraphat Thewakam on the left, and Sitthi Varakam on the right side; below Thewaput sitting in loops of serpents (naga) with mantra text to pay homage to Ganesha
fol. 6: White elephant, which is regarded as the perfect elephant and can only be owned by a king. This elephant is inhabited by 26 devas representing the "life essences" (khwan) of the elephant.
fol. 7: Erawan (Sanskrit: Airavata; Thai: เอราวัณ), here carrying Indra, is regarded as the most powerful elephant and can only be owned by a great emperor (chakkraphat)
fol. 8: Three-headed white elephant, also Erawan (Sanskrit Airavata; Thai: เอราวัณ)
fol. 9: Five species of mythical elephants in the Himaphan (Himavanta) forest, including Chattham, Prince Vessantara's elephant.
fol. 12: More mythical elephants in the Himaphan (Himavanta) forest.
fols. 15, 20, 23, 25-33: Various species and sub-species of mythical and real elephants, emphasizing the characteristics of good, bad, evil and disabled elephants.
fol. 35: A composite elephant motif made of female figures based on the nari-kunjara art form originating in Mughal India as a result of influence from Persia. A kunjara (elephant) is formed by artistically intertwined figures of nari (women), and the creativity of the artist lies in the acrobatic postures of the figures and their adjustment within the composition.
fols. 36-50: Additional types of elephants on separate folios.
- Collection Area:
- Oriental Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Central Thai Manuscripts Digitization
Thai, Lao, Cambodian Collections - Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "032-001608340", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Or 13652: Elephant treatise ตำราช้าง" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-001608340
- Is part of:
- not applicable
- Hierarchy:
- 032-001608340
- Container:
- not applicable
- Record Type (Level):
- Fonds
- Extent:
- 49 folios
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100189194696.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Sanskrit
Thai - Scripts:
- Thai
- Start Date:
- 1800
- End Date:
- 1899
- Date Range:
- 19th century
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
-
Please request the physical items you need using the online collection item request form.
Digitised items can be viewed online by clicking the thumbnail image or digitised content link.
Readers who have registered or renewed their pass since 21 March 2024 can request physical items prior to visiting the Library by completing
this request form.
Please enter the Reference (shelfmark) above on the request form.If your Reader Pass was issued before this date, you will need to visit the Library in London or Yorkshire to renew it before you can request items online. All manuscripts and archives must be consulted at the Library in London.
This catalogue record may describe a collection of items which cannot all be requested together. Please use the hierarchy viewer to navigate to individual items. Some items may be in use or restricted for other reasons. If you would like to check the availability, contact our Reference Services team, quoting the Reference (shelfmark) above.
- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Paper folding book (samut khoi), partially fragmented
Dimensions: 360 mm x 150 mm
Script: 4 lines per side, 31 cm long. Thai script
- Custodial History:
- One missing folio donated in April 1974.
- Source of Acquisition:
- Purchased from Carl Ostertag in 1975. Ostertag (born in Stuttgart, 1910) was a Jewish emigrant in the UK before WWII and lived in New York from 1940 on. Post-WWII he joined the U.S. foreign service and was stationed in Bangkok, where he arranged exhibits of American artists. After his return to the U.S. he lived in San Francisco and sold Southeast Asian art to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art [LACMA].
- Publications:
-
Igunma, Jana: Animals in Thai manuscript art. 10 November 2015. Online https://www.bl.uk/animal-tales/articles/animals-in-thai-manuscript-art
San San May and Jana Igunma. Buddhism illuminated: Manuscript art from Southeast Asia (London: British Library, 2018) pp. 28-29
- Exhibitions:
- Animal tales, (online), 10 November 2015-
Thai Manuscripts, British Library, London, January 1983 - November 1983 - Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)