This week’s post comes from Works on Paper Conservator, Emily Hick, who is currently working to conserve a collection of palm leaf manuscripts…
When you imagine the archives held at the Centre for Research Collections, you might think about parchment, paper, or illuminated books from the Western world. However, we also have approximately 180 manuscripts originating from across South and Southeast Asia which are written in a variety of scripts, including Thai, Burmese, Tamil, and Tibetan. These are mostly palm leaf manuscripts, however there are also examples written on paper, textile, and even metal.