• Purapuikʻ (Accordion-style paper manuscript)
    ပုရပိုက်

Publisher:
  • [Burma], [c. 1885-1895].
Extent:
  • 1 volume : leporello, 142 hand-painted sections ; 41 cm
Format:
Contents:
  • 1-16 Royal Regatta
  • 17-24 Horse Race
  • 25-30 English attack at Gwe Kyaung
  • 31-34 English attack on Minhla
  • 35 - 38 Cane-ball game "chinlone"
  • 39-44 Court Scene. King, Queen and courtiers in an open tent being entertained
  • 45-52 Puppet Show & fete
  • 53-60 Tight Rope and other acrobatics
  • 61-76 Buddhist marriage-making at the Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
  • 77-84 New Year Water Festival
  • 85-110 Military Parade with defence minister Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung (?) and King Thibaw (?) with English troops
  • 111-120 Polo
  • 121-124 Buddhist ordination ceremony
  • 125-130 Buddhist funeral with palanquins
  • 131-134 Elephant jousting
  • 135-142 Elephant training
Binding note:
  • In original red painted boards.
Edm rights:
  • Copyright Not Evaluated
View in catalog:
Curator's notes:

  • Burmese
    Myanmar, 1885–95, paper

    Spectacularly illustrated parabaik, as the word purapuikʻ is commonly written in English, with scenes of royal life were painted by artists for the court of the last Burmese kings. Similar works continued to be painted even after the British had destroyed the palace in the 1885 Anglo-Burmese War and exiled the last king; the painters began selling similar scrolls to the conquerors. The scene on the wall is part of a Buddhist marriage procession in Mandalay; the one displayed in the case shows the training of elephants. Attacking English steamboats can be seen elsewhere on the scroll.

    Princeton Special Collections, 2024-0001E

    For further reading

    Herbert, Patricia. “Burmese court manuscripts.” In The art of Burma: new studies, edited by Donald M. Stadtner, 89-102. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 1999.

    Pruitt, William (ed.) Illustrations of Myanmar: manuscript treasures of the Musée Guimet. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2019.

Exhibit category: