Malay manuscripts: materials and problems of conservation
Ding Choo Ming (1993) surveys the material composition of Malay manuscripts and the environmental, chemical, and human factors driving their deterioration across Southeast Asian collections, arguing that the region faces an urgent conservation crisis demanding institutional commitment, trained conservators, and controlled storage environments. The article was published in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 81–102.
Summary
The article addresses a fundamental paradox in the Malay manuscript tradition: manuscripts produced three or more centuries ago on handmade paper with traditional carbon-based inks often survive in better condition than those copied within the last hundred years on factory-produced acidic paper with iron gall inks. Ding traces the material history of these objects, identifying the diverse paper sources—Chinese, Indian, and European—evident in watermarks and fibre composition, and contrasting the durable, low-acidity traditional inks (prepared from charcoal, soot, lamp black, coconut oil, latex, and plant dyes) with the corrosive modern inks whose sulphuric acid content perforates and oxidises the paper from within (pp. 83–88). The narrative is grounded in specific holdings at the Pusat Manuskrip Melayu, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia library, and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, where the author documents the visible stages of decay: foxing, ink corrosion, insect bore-holes, and embrittlement.
The second half of the article shifts to preservation strategy. Ding distinguishes between preventive measures—optimal storage at 20–25°C and 40–50% relative humidity, acid-free boxes, horizontal shelving, and the use of indigenous insect repellents such as petawali powder and pandan wangi leaves—and curative interventions such as deacidification with magnesium carbonate, dry cleaning, and solvent-based stain removal (pp. 94–99). A central argument is that the tropical climate of Southeast Asia, combined with the widespread use of chemically treated paper since the 1850s, has created conditions under which manuscripts deteriorate far more rapidly than their European counterparts, a point illustrated by the comparison between the near-pristine Sejarah Melayu (Raffles 18) in the British Library and its damaged counterparts in Kuala Lumpur (pp. 91, 97).
Ding also confronts the institutional and economic constraints facing Southeast Asian libraries: the absence of dedicated conservation units, the shortage of trained conservators, and the reluctance of university management to allocate funds for what is perceived as a low-utility activity. The author advocates microfilming and facsimile reproduction as pragmatic means of preserving intellectual content when physical conservation is no longer feasible, while insisting that the original object retains irreplaceable value as a cultural artifact (pp. 98–99).
Key Findings
- The oldest manuscript in the Pusat Manuskrip Melayu collection is Kitab Tasauf (MS 1517), copied by Sheikh Abdul Rauf Fansuri in 1679, making it approximately 313 years old at the time of writing (p. 86).
- No Malay manuscript on paper earlier than c. 1600 survives, with the sole exception of letters sent by the Sultan of Ternate to Portuguese rulers in 1521 and 1522, written on European paper (p. 82).
- A 10°F (approximately 5.5°C) reduction in storage temperature is estimated to double the useful life of paper (p. 97).
- Hikayat Usul Majlis Perdana Halim (MS 20, UKM), written on exercise-book paper, is described as “badly corroded,” while Tembang Serat Lokapala (MS 36, UKM), 158 leaves at 33 × 21 cm, is “riddled with holes” from ink oxidation (p. 87).
- Watermarks identified in Malay manuscripts in Southeast Asian collections include Waterlow & Sons Ltd. (London), Guthrie & Co. (elephant), The Borneo Co. Ltd. (Singapore), Union Times Press Ltd. (Singapore), J. Whatman, and Andrea Galvani Pordenone (pp. 83–84).
- Traditional Malay ink was prepared from charcoal, soot, lamp black, or paper ash mixed with coconut oil, salt, latex from buah jagus, mangosteen skin, black pepper, pulut rice, and cuka nipah; in Riau-Lingga, sotong (cuttlefish) ink was used (p. 87).
Conclusion
Ding’s definitive takeaway is that the conservation of Malay manuscripts has escalated from a technical problem into a cultural emergency. The author insists that the responsibility cannot be deferred to future generations or outsourced entirely to foreign institutions; it requires immediate, sustained investment in trained personnel, climate-controlled storage, and systematic condition assessment. The article closes with the assertion that a good manuscript collection “will remain so only if it receives continuous attention and action” (p. 100).
Context
- Primary archival collections examined: Pusat Manuskrip Melayu (Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia library, and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, supplemented by references to holdings in the Bodleian Library (Oxford), the British Library (London), and the University of Leiden Library.
- The article represents one of the earliest systematic treatments of Malay manuscript conservation written from within the Southeast Asian library context, bridging material culture studies, codicology, and practical library science at a time when the region’s conservation infrastructure was still nascent.