Three Exceptional Sinhalese Palm Leaf (Ola) Books & Covers
Sri Lanka
dated 1881 & 1882
Inventory no.: 219
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Kammavaca Manuscript with Sarsekyo Binding Ribbon
probably Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)
late 19th-early 20th century
Inventory no.: 368
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Fine Lacquer Silver-mounted Album
Late Qajar Iran
circa 1920
Inventory no.: 66
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Nepalese Leparello Manuscript
Nepal
circa 18th century
Inventory no.: 220
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Mughal Brass Writing Box
Northern India
19th century
Inventory no.: 92
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Korean Carved Woodblock for Printing
Korea
circa 18th century
Inventory no.: 451
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Polychrome Silver Lacquer Papier Mache Document Holder
Ottoman Turkey
19th century
Inventory no.: 70
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Koran Writing Boards (lawh)
West Africa
19th-20th century
Inventory no.: 473
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40 Bronze Body Stamps (Chhapa)
Orissa & Bengal
18th & 19th centuries
Inventory no.: 222
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Wooden Printing Block with Tibetan
Script
Tibet
18th century
Inventory no.: 571
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Wooden Printing Block with Manchu
Script
Northern China
18th century
Inventory no.: 570
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Palm Leaf Pátimokkha Manuscript with Sarsekyo Binding Ribbon
Burma (Myanmar)
circa 1870
Inventory no.: 581
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Copper & Silver Stemmed Ink Pot & Cover
Tibet
19th century
Inventory no.: 874
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Copper & Silver Ink Pot & Cover
Tibet
19th century
Inventory no.: 875
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Cloisonné Inkwell
China
late 18th century
Inventory no.: 921
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Brass Ink Well
Nepal
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1008
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Large Malay Silver Seal Matrix
Kelantan, Malaysia
circa 1920
Inventory no.: 1088
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Unusually Large Carved Wooden Koran Stand
Northern India
19th century
Inventory no.: 775
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Gold Overlaid Calligrapher’s Scissors
Ottoman Turkey
19th century
Inventory no.: 1452
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Lacquered Letter Tube (Sa Dauk)
Burma
mid-20th century
Inventory no.: 1532
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From where do we source our items? We do not go on buying trips to Asia. Nor do we actively buy from dealers or suppliers based in Asia. We do not source
items from India itself for example. Almost all the items stocked by Michael Backman Ltd have been sourced from the UK - from old collections. Countless items were
brought to the UK during the colonial era by colonial administrators and the like. Other items were made in Asia for export to the UK – the UK was wealthy early: it
has been a major destination for the world’s exports for hundreds of years.  This means that most of our items have been in the UK for at least sixty to two hundred
years.
   The conditions in which they have been kept often has been very good – the climate is kind, and there are relatively few pests. Many items were acquired as
keepsakes and curios, meaning that they stopped being used once they came to the UK. This too has helped to preserve them and their conditions often are far
better than had they remained in their home countries. Buying from old UK sources means that the items have good provenance; it helps to avoid fakes, and items
that have been amended or embellished. It also means that our items are obtained legally – today, most countries in Asia prohibit the export of their antiques. So,
because of its colonial past, the UK is perhaps the world’s biggest source of genuine antiques from Asia, perhaps more so than Asia itself, and that is the source
into which we tap.
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