Deni Sutrisna
Abstract. Illumination is a special term in manuscriptology to refer to the images in manuscripts or letters. The study used qualitative research method with inductive reasoning and obtained information that generally, the illumination applied on the 18th and 19th century Malay letter are similar. The similarity lies in the repetitive elements showing the particular structure of the letter. The illumination is depicted on the sides of the letter as an ornament, while the letter text as the essence of the message is written on the centre of the front page of the letter. The illumination has two frames, which are the field delimiter and text frames. The frame consists of two double lines in which are decorated with various motifs. Besides its aesthetic meaning, the Malay letter contains spiritual values of Islamic influence. The laden creativity of motifs and ornaments on Malay letter has also inspired the creation of forms of illumination in today’s imperative letter.
Keywords: ornaments, motifs, font, color, meaning, stamps, Islam, writing skills, authority
Source: Naditira Widya, Vol. 6 No.1 April 2012, p.35-51
Email: sutrisnadeni@yahoo.com
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