This Burmese book of Buddhist scriptures (Kamawa-sa) includes selections written in Pali from the Tipitaka (literally, "three baskets") of Therevada, the most ancient form of Buddhism. Costly and ornate Kamawa-sa were written on cloth or palm leaves…
This Jewish marriage contract (Hebrew ketubah) details the groom"s financial obligations to the bride in the event of divorce or widowhood. Both text and decorative object, designed to be displayed in the couple"s home, it belonged to David ben…
The Mishneh Torah, not to be confused with the early medieval Mishnah seen in the eleventh-century manuscript pages appearing earlier in the exhibition, was composed by the Sephardic Jewish philosopher and physician Maimonides (1138-1204). Born in…
This late copy of the Dala'il al-Khayrat was created in Morocco, where the work was originally composed four hundred years earlier. Thousands of others were produced throughout the Islamic world, making it the most popular devotional work after the…
The prayer book "Waymarks of Benefits" (Dala"il al-Khayrat), originally composed in fifteenth-century Morocco, was frequently copied from Senegal to Turkestan, at the western and eastern extremes of the Islamic world. It was the most popular…
This Buddhist prayer sheet is a rare survivor among hundreds of identical prints featuring Avalokite?vara, a form of the Boddhisatva of compassion, and was produced in 947 to celebrate the annual Ghost Festival. In the early 11th century, this print…
"Glory to God" (subhan Allah) appears on the right-hand page as an ornate Arabic letter form upon a delicate floral background. The sweeping letter forms and particularly thin uprights show how the monumental thuluth script was adapted by Chinese…
"The dispersed “Blue Qur’an” to which this folio belongs is one of the most famous surviving Qur’an manuscripts. The text of this outstanding Qur’an is copied in gold ink outlined in black on a deep indigo-blue parchment. Small silver…
This is an extremely rare example of a complete medieval woven silk robe. Luxurious robes were highly valued in trade and often presented as diplomatic gifts, but due to the fragility of textiles, most of what survives is fragmentary. The exchange of…