30th September CATALOGUE 231 Books & Graphics
30th September CATALOGUE 231 Books & Graphics
30th September CATALOGUE 231 Books & Graphics
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94 Harteveld Rare <strong>Books</strong> Ltd., CH-1700 Fribourg<br />
Original handwritten magic or divination book of the Batak-People on<br />
tree bark. Magical incantation and recipe book (Pustaha) (Batak. Central<br />
Sumatra) . This special type of book called ,Pustaha’ or ,Pustaka’ is made<br />
of folded treebark (bast) and contains informations about magical practises<br />
and divinity in the form of text and drawings of magical symbols. It is<br />
handwritten in a syllabe script derived from the Indian Sanskrit. The<br />
language is one of the dialects of the 6 groups of the Batak people, living<br />
around the vulcanic Toba Lake and in the surrounding mountains in northern<br />
Sumatra. The Batak had the reputation to be fierce warriors who practised<br />
ritual cannibalism until they became subjects of the colonial Dutch East<br />
Indian government. They have a rich animistic tradition with complex<br />
rituals (funerals etc.). In most Batak communities, only the priests, or<br />
,datu’ were able to use the Batak script, and use it mainly for magical texts,<br />
divination, fortune telling, calendars and medicine. Only the datu and their<br />
students were supposed to know the secrets contained within these books.<br />
A unique and rare item. ‘Bark-paper books like this one contain rituals and<br />
‘recipes’ for magical incantations and spells. They were used by shamans<br />
(datu), and formed part of their ritual paraphernalia. The Batak are unique<br />
amongst tribal peoples in having a written language derived from Sanskrit<br />
introduced to Central Sumatra by Hindu traders more than a thousand years<br />
ago’ (Art of the ancestors). cf.. The history of the Book, J. Hauck collection<br />
N° 41; Sian Jay, Art of the ancestors. Nias - Batak - Dayak (art) from the<br />
collections of Mark A. Gordon & P. Mondolin, page 41 - 43. Singapour 2007.<br />
118. Relique originale sous forme d’un bout d’ossement de<br />
Saint-François Borgia... / Reliquie mit Klosterarbeiten. - Reliquienmedaillon<br />
(Hl. Franziskus von Borgia) mit kirchlichem Echtheitszeugnis<br />
1770 ausgestellt von Bischof Bruni sowie 2 weiteren Klosterarbeiten<br />
aus der Zeit. Insg. 3 Stücke in Textilrahmung. 31x25 cm,<br />
1) kl. ovales Reliquienmedaillon aus Silber mit Glasfenster und Beschriftung<br />
„Ex Oss:<br />
S. Franc: Bor:“, mit<br />
Zeugnis auf Papier,<br />
vorgedrucktes Formular<br />
mit gestochenemBischofswappen,<br />
handschriftlich<br />
ausgefüllt u. unterschrieben,<br />
Medaillon<br />
und Zeugnis unter<br />
Glas mit ornamentaler<br />
Textilrahmung<br />
mit Stütze zum Auf-
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