An alternative approach to loss compensation in palm leaf manuscripts

Abstract

Palm leaves were one of the main writing and painting supports in most South and South-East Asian countries prior to the introduction of paper. The leaves are inherently fragile and prone to various types of degradation, making their preservation particularly challenging. In Western collections, palm leaf manuscripts generally comprise a small portion of the overall collection and are infrequently requested for exhibition or study. This can impact how routinely their condition is assessed and limit the contact that a conservator may have with the material. Furthermore, conservation of palm leaf often requires unconventional approaches that can make an otherwise standard treatment more involved. Limited developments in this specialized area have also made it difficult to respond to the preservation requirements of the material. Loss compensation in palm leaves is particularly problematic, as established conservation methods can present a variety of drawbacks which are discussed below. Conservation of a mid-thirteenth-century Indian palm leaf manuscript, in the Department of the Art of Asia, Africa and Oceania at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, provided the opportunity to reassess and develop a method of loss compensation particularly suitable for this fragile material.