A Wonderful Illuminated Manuscript with Miniature Paintings
The Ramayana - One of the Great Indian Classical Texts
18th Century - 420 Leaves - A Very Large Example
[Ramayana Manuscript], Indian. THE RAMAYANA. A FINE ILLUMINATED INDIAN MANUSCRIPT WRITTEN IN SANSKRIT. WITH A NUMBER OF VERY BEAUTIFULLY EXECUTED MINIATURE PAINTINGS. (India; Kashmir: Handwritten , 18th Century) A large 18th century Sanskrit manuscript of the famous Indian epic, The Ramayana. Written in a neat Devanagari script in black ink, with headings, keywords, and markings in red on pale beige paper. The text is ruled in several lines of black, orange, and blue. The manuscript contains seven large illuminated miniature paintings. 7.75 x 13.25 inches, written surface: 4.25 x 8.5 inches., bound to style in full maroon calf, with five raised bands on the spine, the covers and spine are gilt decorated 420 leaves. A fine, beautiful and excellent manuscript with wonderful miniature paintings, a few leaves are repaired with very minor loss of text and a few leaves are marginally affected by damp, otherwise excellent.
A VERY FINE ILLUMINATED SANSKRIT MANUSCRIPT OF THE RAMAYANA, ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL CLASSICAL INDIAN TEXTS. WITH SEVEN SUPERB MINIATURE PAINTINGS. The manuscript is most likely an eighteenth century Kashmiri manuscript.
The Rāmāyaṇa (Devanāgarī) is an ancient Sanskrit epic thought to have been compiled between approximately 400 BCE and 200 CE. It is attributed to the Hindu sage (maharishi) Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti). It was the original story on which other versions (such as the Khmer Reamker, the Thai Ramakien, the Lao Phra Lak Phra Lam the Malay Hikayat Seri Rama and the Maranao Darengan) were based. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. |
