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Book/Printed Material Letter of Damar Wulan.

About this Item

Title

  • Letter of Damar Wulan.

Summary

  • The Serat Damar Wulan (MSS.Jav.89) is one of the loveliest Indonesian manuscripts in the British Library, with a treasury of illustrations depicting Javanese society in the late 18th century. The pictures are rich in humor and the artist had a marvellous eye for facial expressions and bodily postures (for example, a woman sleeping with her arm across her eyes, a sandal just balanced on a foot). Everyday things are depicted in fascinating detail, from birdcages to garden pots and textiles, with wonderful scenes of music and dance of enormous interest to performers today. A contemporary English note that accompanied the donation of the manuscript in 1815 states: "This Book is said to be 2 hundred years old," but according to Dr. Russell Jones, the watermarks of the much-thumbed and soiled pages of Dutch paper, "J HONIG" and "J H & Z," have so far only been found in Indonesian manuscripts dated around 1800 to 1855, and so a late 18th-century dating is perhaps most likely for this manuscript. Early scholars of Javanese texts were notoriously oblivious to the artistic aspects of manuscripts, but the Serat Damar Wulan proved irresistible. The manuscript begins with the accession of the daughter of Brawijaya (Kusuma Kancana Wungu) to the throne of Majapahit. It is dated Jumahat-Manis, 9 Rabingulawal, no year given.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1775 to 1799]

Headings

  • -  Indonesia
  • -  1775 to 1799
  • -  Javanese literature
  • -  Manners and customs

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "British Library manuscript reference number: MSS.Jav.89"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 215 folios ; 255 x 200 millimeters.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: Annabel Gallop, "Everyday life in Java in the late 18th century: Serat Damar Wulan," Southeast Asia Library Group (SEALG) Blog, March 21, 2013, http://southeastasianlibrarygroup.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/everyday-life-in-java-in-the-late-18th-century-serat-damar-wulan/. External
  • -  Original resource at: The British Library.
  • -  Content in Javanese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668036

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Letter of Damar Wulan. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1799, 1775] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668036/.

APA citation style:

(1775) Letter of Damar Wulan. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1799] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668036/.

MLA citation style:

Letter of Damar Wulan. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1799, 1775] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668036/>.