Copper Plate Document (2 results)
More imagesPublished by [circa 18th-19th century], [Eastern India, possibly Bengal or Assam]
- Softcover
Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
Contact seller5-star sellerCopper plate (13 7/8 x 9 1/8 inches) engraved on both sides. The principal face with several lines of incised text at the head, followed by a large engraved validating or emblematic mark, and below this three dense sections of text divided by ruled horizontal lines. The reverse largely uninscribed, with three small engraved seal…s or validating marks near the edge. An inscribed copper plate of Indian origin, possibly Bengal or Assam, engraved in a Bengali or Bengali-Assamese script and preserving a formal documentary text in metal. This copper plate belongs to the South Asian tradition of preserving legal, devotional, and administrative records on durable metal supports. Copper plate documents, often described as tamrapatra or copper charters, were used for grants, endowments, title rights, decrees, and other formal acts, their material permanence giving them authority beyond that of ordinary manuscript documents. The present example appears to preserve a substantial text, arranged in ruled sections and accompanied by validating marks. The script appears close to Bengali or Bengali-Assamese. The letterforms show rounded and looped shapes consistent with scripts used in eastern India. If confirmed, this would suggest an origin in Bengal, Assam, or a neighbouring region where related scripts were used for administrative and religious writing. From their earliest centuries of development, copper plate inscriptions have occupied a central place in South Asian documentary culture, particularly in the recording of land grants, royal edicts, temple endowments, and other formal transactions. Their durability made them suitable for preserving records intended to endure, and they were often deposited in temples or held by families or institutions as proof of rights and privileges. While earlier examples are frequently associated with royal chancelleries, the practice continued into the early modern and colonial periods, with regional administrations and local authorities maintaining related forms of documentation. The present plate appears to belong to this later phase of the tradition, when such documents were still being produced for administrative, legal, or commemorative purposes. Its relatively large format and the density of inscription suggest a formal text of some substance, while the additional engraved devices indicate an effort to authenticate or formalise the record. The copper plate offers a direct example of a documentary practice that bridges manuscript culture and more durable forms, preserving both the text itself and the physical conventions of its transmission.
More imagesPublished by [circa 18th or 19th century], [Western or Northern India]
- Softcover
Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
Contact seller5-star sellerCopper plate (15 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches), engraved on both sides, one face densely filled with horizontal lines of incised text and with additional marks, including a dagger or torch device and other validating or ownership marks. The reverse more sparsely inscribed with two lines of text. An inscribed copper plate of Indian origin,… engraved on both sides and belonging to the South Asian tradition of preserving legal, devotional, and commemorative texts. A striking survival from the documentary culture of South Asia, where copper served as a durable support for records intended to outlast paper and palm leaf. Such copper records, often described as tamrapatra or copper charters, were valued because they were portable, difficult to alter, and capable of serving as enduring witnesses to grants, decrees, endowments, title rights, and other formal acts. The script appears to belong to the Nagari family, possibly Devanagari or a related cursive administrative hand such as Modi, the script long used for Marathi official and business writing. From their earliest centuries of development, copper plate inscriptions have occupied a central place in South Asian documentary culture, particularly in the recording of land grants, royal edicts, temple endowments, and other formal transactions. Their durability made them suitable for preserving records intended to endure, and they were often deposited in temples or held by families or institutions as proof of rights and privileges. While earlier examples are frequently associated with royal chancelleries, the practice continued into the early modern and colonial periods, with regional administrations and local authorities maintaining related forms of documentation. The present plate appears to belong to this later phase of the tradition, when such documents were still being produced for administrative, legal, or commemorative purposes. Its relatively large format and the density of inscription suggest a formal text of some substance, while the additional engraved devices indicate an effort to authenticate or formalise the record. The copper plate offers a direct example of a documentary practice that bridges manuscript culture and more durable forms, preserving both the text itself and the physical conventions of its transmission.
