AN ILLUSTRATED ‘RAMAYANA’ FOLDING MANUSCRIPT, PARABAIK, BURMA, 19TH CENTURYInk and watercolors on paper. The accordion-style manuscriptprising 94 leaves inscribed with calligraphy, 12 of which are finely painted with scenes from the Ramayana. The front and back covers lacquered black.Provenance: From the collection of Jean Claude Moreau-Gobard, Paris, who was a French collector and dealer specializing in Asian art, born into a family of antiques experts in Paris. He was active from the 1950s until the 1980s. Today, the family business is continued by Juliette Moreau-Gobard.Condition: Good condition with some wear, small losses, minor creases and soiling.Dimensions: Size 14 x 67.5 cm (each page)The earliest known parabaiks date to the mid-18th century and seem to have originated mostly from Mandalay. Originally, they were made for patrons associated with the court, but later, they were alsomissioned by wealthier Burmese, to mark special occasions and ritual events.Literatureparison:Compare a related Mandalay style parabaik, dated to the 19th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1946,1214,0.1.pare a related parabaik, attributed to the court of King Mindon or Thibaw, or associated workshops, dated 1870s-1880s, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2017.209.