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| Source: NUS Press. Cover for Malay Seals from the Islamic World of Southeast Asia. |
This reference work describes and analyses the Malay sealing tradition, carefully cataloguing in full colour more than 2,000 seals sourced from collections worldwide, primarily seal impressions stamped in lampblack, ink or wax on manuscript letters, treaties and other documents, but including some seal matrices made of silver, brass or stone.
According to the publisher, seals make up an important element in the manuscript and literary culture of maritime Southeast Asia. They can throw light on the history of the Malay world, ranging from the nature of kingship, the administrative structure of states, the biographies of major personalities and the form of Islamic thought embraced, as well as on developments in the art and material culture of the region.
The Malay seals featured in the book originate from the present-day territories of Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia and the southern parts of Thailand and Cambodia, and the Philippines, and date from the second half of the 16th century to the early 20th century. Complete transcriptions and translations of the Jawi inscriptions are provided, bringing the seals to light as objects of literary and art historical analysis, and key resources for an understanding of the Malay Islamic world of Southeast Asia in the early modern period.
Jawi is an Arabic script used for writing Malay and other Southeast Asian languages.
Annabel Teh Gallop, the author, is head of the Southeast Asia section and curator for the Indonesian and Malay collections at the British Library. She was also co-director of the British Academy-funded research project titled Islam, Trade and Politics across the Indian Ocean. She has written widely on Malay and Indonesian manuscripts, and on the art of the Quran in Southeast Asia.
Details:
Buy the book (2019) at S$145
852 pp / 303 x 224 mm
Casebound
ISBN: 978-981-3250-86-4