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Show 3 ‘The Moulds of Kashmi g £z E § " . The moulds of Kashmir, where papermaking is thought to have bee first introducedinto India, show the influence of their Persian origin, an fiutcd in those of Persia, and the moulds of India were in turn modelle after the Persian implement. It is only natural, therefore, that the presentmoulds of India follow, to a great extent, the pattern of the ancien moulda of China, The Kashmir moulds in my collection are representat s¢ in use in modern times, but it is reasonable to belicve that thes ‘moulds have undergone few changes, i any, since the introduction of papermaking into northern India. Certainly the construction of the presct-da moulds of Kashmir would not suggest that there had been any altcratio from the time of their introduction. While the modern tool, as in the past s simply conceived and crudely made, its construction shows, nevertheless considerable scientific knowledge. In fact, the most modern papermakin machine is foundedon the principle of mc ancient Oriental mould, invented and used by so-called semi-civilized people The K,,s ir mould consists of two distinct parts: the mould-frame an the mould-coverthe frame acting as a support for the cover. Photograph 1 e mould-frame of Kashmir is composed of sixteen separate picce wood, with two extra wooden sticks used as side deckles. Four of the sixtee pieces represent the actual frame of the mould, while the remaining twelv compose the ribs, or cross-bars, of the mould-frame. The four outer fram sections are usually cut from strips of deodar (Cedrus deodara) (Hindi: sarv o odar) lumber measuring two by three-quarter inches. These four section are morticed at the comers making a square resembling a plain pictureframe, the outside measurements being thirty-six by thirty-two inches Between the top and bottom sections of this square are placed the twelv Digital image© 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah, All rights reserved |