Copper Plate Document

Published by [circa 18th or 19th century], [Western or Northern India]

  • Softcover
  • Used
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Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member: ABAAILAB

Softcover

Condition: Used

£ 5,782.16

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Item description from seller

Copper 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.…

Seller Inventory # 42797

Bibliographic details

Title
Copper Plate Document
Author
[INDIA]
Publisher
[circa 18th or 19th century], [Western or Northern India]
Binding
Soft cover
Seller catalogs
Historical Manuscripts, Miscellany

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

New York, NY, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member:

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Store description

Donald A. Heald Rare Books offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of Botany, Ornithology, Natural History, Americana & Canadiana, Native Americans, Voyages & Travels, Maps & Atlases, Photography and more. Founded in England in 1972, we have formed and contributed to important private and institutional collections. Items of note which we have placed include a unique copy of Abbot’s "Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia" with plates on vellum, an extremely rare extra-illustrated large paper Spanish edition of Blaeu’s "Atlas Mayor," Curtis's "North American Indian," a copy of the Federalist Papers in boards, the first separate printing of the Bill of Rights, and a large paper issue of Redouté's "Les Roses" with the plates in two states. We are renowned for our extensive print inventory which is unsurpassed in quality. Our Sporting collection recently incorporated the complete print stock of Ackermann & Son of London, established in 1783. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, where Mr. Heald has served on the Board of Governors as Treasurer, Security Chairperson, and as Chairman of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Mr. Heald is a member of the Grolier Club, and the American Antiquarian Society.…

Specialty

Fine Bindings, Maps and Atlases, Voyages and Travels, Americana, Natural History, Illustrated Books, Historical and Decorative Prints, Colour-plate Books

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  • Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
  • International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
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Seller's business information

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

NY, U.S.A.