Prayer Sheet (Avalokitesvara), China, Dunhuang, 15th day of 7th month [4 August] 947 CE, Woodblock print, ink on paper, ROM, 927.24
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 was enclosed behind a wall along with over 60,000 books and documents from the 5th to the 11th century in the Mogao Caves, in the western Chinese city of Dunhuang. The so-called "library cave," containing manuscripts and printed works in languages ranging from Judeo-Persian to Sanskrit to Tibetan, was rediscovered only in 1900. Despite the passage of years, the blessings of the festival that this woodblock print celebrates continue to resonate today: "let illnesses disappear, let all be steeped in happiness and good fortune." "[Cao Yuanzhong] ordered this block be carved for printing, so that the city god may enjoy peace and prosperity, that the whole prefecture may be tranquil, that the highways leading east and west may remain open, that evil-doers north and south may be reformed, that diseases may disappear, that the sound of the war-gong may no longer be heard, that pleasure may attend both eye and ear, and that all may be steeped in happiness and good fortune. Recorded on the fifteenth day of the seventh moon of the dingwei era, the fourth year of Kaiyun in the Great Jin Dynasty [4th August 947]. [Carved by] the engraver Lei Yanmei."
Dimensions: 46.0 x 32.0 cm Material: woodblock print, ink on paper
The Tantra of the Five Protectoresses (Pa?ñcarak??tantra), Nepal, Kathmandu, ca. 1780, Pigments and carbon black ink on paper, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library Tibetan MSS 00015
The oblong pages of this palm-leaf style (pothi) book are covered with Sanskrit phrases (mantra) to treat illness, prevent disaster, and grant wellbeing. The five protective goddesses pictured here embody the five Buddhist mantra collections that make up the text, which continues to be used during festivals in today"s Nepal. These mantra collections (dharani) were copied onto wearable objects for spiritual protection " for example, a cloth that could be tied to the wrist, or paper that could be carried in an amulet.
Dimensions: 8.7 x 34.7 x 4.3cm Material: Pigments and carbon black ink on paper
A manuscript of Ferdowsi"s Shahnameh, Iran, 1492-93, Opaque watercolour, ink, silver and gold on paper, Binding: leather, paint, lacquer, pasteboard, , AKM269,
The lacquered cover of this Shahnameh manuscript showcases a dense pattern of grape-bearing vine scrolls, which continued to be an influential motif over the following centuries. This handwritten manuscript contains the Shahnameh (literally, "Book of Kings"), a work of kingly ethics and a masterpiece of world literature held in high regard by kings and rulers who commissioned lavishly decorated copies of the epic.
Dimensions: no data entered Material: opaque watercolour, ink, silver and gold on paper Binding: leather, paint, lacquer, pasteboard
The Choice Book of Fatwas (Kit?b al-Mukht?r lil-fatwa) , ?Abd All?h ibn Ma?m?d ?anaf?" (1203"1284), Egypt, 1425, Manuscript: parchment, red and black ink on paper , Binding: leather, pasteboard, , Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Arabic MSS 00087,
This fifteenth-century copy of an important textbook in Islamic law is intricately annotated with the notes of a legal expert (Arabic faqih) in Egypt who was using the book as a teaching tool. The notes are largely case studies and problems in law, written in a skillful and highly educated hand. Perhaps the writer was planning to consolidate these notes into a published commentary of his own, to educate future generations through the book.
?Abd All?h ibn Ma?m?d ?anaf?" (1203"1284)
Dimensions: 22 x 16 cm Material: Manuscript: parchment, red and black ink on paper Binding: leather, pasteboard
Marriage Contract (Ketubah) of David ben Shabettov and Serula bat Samuel, Greece, Thessaloniki,, 24 March 1797/26 Adar 5557, Opaque watercolour and gold on paper and parchment, , Royal Ontario Museum, 974X409.1,
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 Shabettov and Serula bat Samuel, who were married in 1797 when Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. Inscribed above the floral arches are the opening words of Proverbs 18:22, "Matsa isha matsa tov"" (He who finds a wife, finds good and obtains the Lord"s favour).
[would the bride and groom's names fit here?]
Dimensions: Mat dims: 64.5 ?? 47 ?? 0.3 cm Material: opaque watercolour and gold on paper and parchment
Tiraz textile fragments, Egypt, 10th century, Linen with tapestry-woven inscription in silk , ROM, 978.76.984 A
These delicate tapestry-woven textile armbands with inscriptions (Arabic tiraz) rendered in golden Kufic script lettering would have adorned the wearer's body in a luxurious echo of the regal blue and gold parchment Qur'ans produced during the Fatimid Dynasty. These fragments, which likely came from two different garments of a matching set, include the phrase "Abu l-Mansur," part of the name of the Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz Billah (975-96), whose reign brought the founding of Cairo"s al-Azhar University (988), military expansion into Palestine and Syria, and economic and social stability. The inscription reads, "[In the name of God] the Merciful, the Compassionate! There is no God but God alone. Victory from God and imminent conquest to Abdullah and his viceroy Abu l-Mansur."
Dimensions: Mount dims: 20" x 33" Material: Linen with tapestry-woven silk inscription
Amulet Scroll , Ethiopia, late 19th century, Black and red ink on parchment, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, MSS 08024
Used for protection against illness, difficult childbirth, and the evil eye, this Ethiopian amulet scroll (Amharic kitab, Arabic for "book") was created by an ordained minister (Amharic debtara) from pieces of parchment tailored to the height of the owner"s body. Inscribed with healing prayers, talismans, and images of armed angels, amulet scrolls like this one might be placed in a leather case to be worn or hung on a wall, and could also be wrapped around the body of the deceased as a form of prayer.
Dimensions: 16.9cm wide by about 2 metres long when fully unrolled Material: black and red ink on parchment
Prayer Book (Dala'il al-Khayrat), 19th century, Morocco, Gilt and embossed leather binding; opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper,
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 Qur'an, especially for Sunni Muslims. Carrying the Dala'il al-Khayrat and reciting its prayers were thought to provide blessing (baraka), good luck, and apotropaic protection. The rich ink and gold of the page, and luxurious red leather of the binding, make this volume both a holy text to be read and a precious object.
Muhammad b. Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465)
Dimensions: 13.2 x 13.8 x 5.9 cm Material: gilt and embossed leather binding; opaque watercolour, ink and gold on paper
Choir Book , Spain, Granada (?), 16th century, ink and paint on parchment, wood cover with metal, , Western University, Music Library, MS M2150,
Spiritual travel is experienced through sung prayer as well as through map image. This choir book or "antiphoner" includes chants for the Christian Holy Week of Easter. So heavy that it can only be moved by two people, this enormous book would have been displayed open so that its monumental notation could be seen by all singers. This copy, animated in the micro-CT display, features wheel-shaped bosses on its cover, protecting against damage and perhaps evoking the emblematic wheel of St. Catherine.
Dimensions: 60 cm x 43 cm (closed) Material: ink and paint on parchment, wood cover with metal
A pilgrimage route for the river Alakananda from Haridwar to Badrinath in Garhwal, India, Garhwal, early 18th century ,
This monumental map follows India's Ganges River and one of its sources, the Alakananda, from the point of view of a Hindu pilgrim travelling from one shrine to the next, following the path of the rivers from left to right. Beginning at Devprayag, where the rivers meet, we pass villages, temples, pilgrim hostels, and shrines, including the famous Narasimha Temple at Joshimath where Hindu priests would bring treasures from other shrines to avoid the harsh winter.
Dimensions: 39.5??280cm Material: