mysterious "mekhapat" of Thailand ?
I hope this not off topic, but I feel there's more chance of someone in =
this group knowing what this is than elsewhere. By way of obeisance/defense may I say that I have recently done a website for a = real jeweler and gemologist and it was a pleasure :) I am a serious collector and student of the visual arts of S.E. Asia, = and for several years have been trying to identify a black substance used in making Buddhist amulets (usually small, usually Buddha = images, sometimes Sangkajai [fat, Buddha's disciple], sometimes amulets of Cambodian secondary Buddhist/animist themes = [oophakhoot]). A very frequent use of this material is for amulets called "Phra Pid-Da" in Thai (literally : "amulet of the closed eyes") = which is a very ancient icon of a person with hands covering the eyes that many people believe pre-dates Buddhism. When I ask my Thai friends about this they usually repeat the story that = it is a "secret" material made only by Monks, and the method of manufacture is passed from one Monk to another. Monks do make = amulets in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition from substances including clay, terra-cotta, mixtures of plant material and clays, etc., = as well as bronze, silver, brass, sometimes gold. So far no luck in tracking down a Monk who makes mekhapat, and I am reluctant to = travel in Cambodia for safety reasons. The substance, which I at first believed was a kind of black agate or = glassine rock, is black, glossy, smooth to the touch. Slightly reflective rather than dull. I remember in my childhood in Florida = finding black agate ... or was it volcanic glass ... that could be flaked into razor-sharp shards. I believed this to be some kind of molten material until one day I came = across a large Buddha amulet that was not only clearly Mekhapat, but also highly magnetic. I appreciate any ideas you have about what this substance may be. thanks, Bill Woodruff dotScience Chiang Mai, Thailand |
My wife gave me a pendent from Japan, it is a gold symbol surounded by =
flat black. It came with a card telling how it was made. A steel disk was carved and gold hammered into the grooves. Then somehow charcole was rubbed in to the steel, I'm not sure how that works out, but there it is. This is placed into a gold bezel. I wear it 24/7 for about 5 months now = and it is holding up fine. It is also magnetic from the steel disc, but shows no sign of rust. Les On 16-Jan-2004, "Bill Woodruff" wrote: I hope this not off topic, but I feel there's more chance of someone in this group knowing what this is than elsewhere. By way of obeisance/defense may I say that I have recently done a website for a = real jeweler and gemologist and it was a pleasure :) I am a serious collector and student of the visual arts of S.E. Asia, = and for several years have been trying to identify a black substance used in making Buddhist amulets (usually small, usually = Buddha images, sometimes Sangkajai [fat, Buddha's disciple], sometimes amulets of Cambodian secondary Buddhist/animist themes [oophakhoot]). A very frequent use of this material is for amulets called "Phra Pid-Da" in Thai (literally : "amulet of the closed eyes") which is a very ancient icon of a person with hands covering the eyes that many people believe pre-dates Buddhism. When I ask my Thai friends about this they usually repeat the story = that it is a "secret" material made only by Monks, and the method of manufacture is passed from one Monk to another. Monks do make amulets in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition from substances including clay, terra-cotta, mixtures of plant material and clays, = etc., as well as bronze, silver, brass, sometimes gold. So far no luck in tracking down a Monk who makes mekhapat, and I am reluctant to travel in Cambodia for safety reasons. The substance, which I at first believed was a kind of black agate or glassine rock, is black, glossy, smooth to the touch. Slightly reflective rather than dull. I remember in my childhood in Florida = finding black agate ... or was it volcanic glass ... that could be flaked into razor-sharp shards. I believed this to be some kind of molten material until one day I came across a large Buddha amulet that was not only clearly Mekhapat, but also highly magnetic. I appreciate any ideas you have about what this substance may be. thanks, Bill Woodruff dotScience Chiang Mai, Thailand |
large Buddha amulet that was not only clearly
Mekhapat, but also highly magnetic. If it is naturally magnetic, it sounds like lodestone, which is black=20 Regards, Mark Do not envy a sinner; you don't know what disaster awaits him. Bible, Old Testament Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he = shall receive the crown of life. Bible, New Testament, James, Chapter 1, Verse 12 |
The substance, which I at first believed was a kind of black agate or =3D
glassine rock, is black, glossy, smooth to the touch. Slightly reflective rather than dull. Along with being magnetic it sounds like hemotite to me. |
Sounds like tektite (or tectite), glass produced by hypervelocity
meteorite impacts on terrestrial rocks. Will E. "Bill Woodruff" wrote in message ... I hope this not off topic, but I feel there's more chance of someone in this group knowing what this is than elsewhere. By way of obeisance/defense may I say that I have recently done a website for a real jeweler and gemologist and it was a pleasure :) I am a serious collector and student of the visual arts of S.E. Asia, and for several years have been trying to identify a black substance used in making Buddhist amulets (usually small, usually Buddha images, sometimes Sangkajai [fat, Buddha's disciple], sometimes amulets of Cambodian secondary Buddhist/animist themes [oophakhoot]). A very frequent use of this material is for amulets called "Phra Pid-Da" in Thai (literally : "amulet of the closed eyes") which is a very ancient icon of a person with hands covering the eyes that many people believe pre-dates Buddhism. When I ask my Thai friends about this they usually repeat the story that it is a "secret" material made only by Monks, and the method of manufacture is passed from one Monk to another. Monks do make amulets in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition from substances including clay, terra-cotta, mixtures of plant material and clays, etc., as well as bronze, silver, brass, sometimes gold. So far no luck in tracking down a Monk who makes mekhapat, and I am reluctant to travel in Cambodia for safety reasons. The substance, which I at first believed was a kind of black agate or glassine rock, is black, glossy, smooth to the touch. Slightly reflective rather than dull. I remember in my childhood in Florida finding black agate ... or was it volcanic glass ... that could be flaked into razor-sharp shards. I believed this to be some kind of molten material until one day I came across a large Buddha amulet that was not only clearly Mekhapat, but also highly magnetic. I appreciate any ideas you have about what this substance may be. thanks, Bill Woodruff dotScience Chiang Mai, Thailand |
Many thanks for the comments and responses !
The Japanese pendant sounds beautiful, but I am sure this is not the same type of material as Mekhaphat. Meteorite fragments are sometimes used in several forms in the religious arcana of the "animist universe" that swirls around the formal traditions of Theravada Thai Buddhism like moths around a flame. Meteorite fragments are referred to in Thai as "dao tok" which translates as "fallen star." Meteorite is considered specially "magically potent" in making "takut," fetishes worn usually on a braided belt believed to protect from harm in battle. I am not familiar with hypervelocity impact produced tektites, but will pursue this line of inquiry. Lodestone or hematite are also good hypotheses to be pursued. Mekhaphat (and its rarer cousin "mekhasit") await clarification. Whatever it is, it is hard enough and strong enough to take detailed carving as a beautiful Cambodian piece of a Buddha surrounded by two phiyanaag (primordial water serpents who look a lot like Chinese dragons) in my collection attests. A local dealer has a Phra Sangakajai (fat Monk often mistaken for the fat Buddha coming from the Chinese Mahayana tradition) he claims has a coating of mekhapat over bronze : if that is true, then it was definitely cast which means it is definitely meltable and pourable. This material though looks porous and smells of sulfur; the mekhapat I have seen is almost always semi-gloss (artifact of polishing) appears non-porous and has no distinct odor. If I find a really "definitive" answer, I will post either a summary or a link on this group. Sawasdee Khrup, Bill Woodruff Chiang Mai, Thailand |
On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 05:20:31 GMT, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Josiah Cod"
wrote: he claims has a coating of mekhapat over bronze : if that is true, then it was definitely cast which means it is definitely meltable and pourable. This material though looks porous and smells of sulfur; the mekhapat I have seen is almost always semi-gloss (artifact of polishing) appears non-porous and has no distinct odor. Bill, more and more this is sounding to me like at least a variant, of, if not exactly, Niello. Niello is normally a mix of copper, silver, and perhaps lead, which are melted together and then mixed with an excess of sulphur. The resulting mix of black metal sulphides is fairly low melting, and in jewelry, is normally used much like enamel, poured into depressions or engravings in silver or gold (or other metal) items, and then usually scraped or filed flat and burnished or polished. the stuff softens a bit when warmed and can be quite plastic, depending on the mix of the metals it was made from. If not made well, it could be quite porous and frothy, or have tiny bits of metallic metal still floating in it, and a sulphur smell also might occur if it's not well made and mixed. It will adhere to most metals, including steel or iron, so it would not be hard to make a magnetic item simply by using it to coat something made of, say, cast iron. also possible might be a mix of niello and iron filings, used as a solid cast material. That too, might be quite magnetic. While it's normally used as an overlay on metal, there's no real reason it could not be cast into probably small solid forms as well. The use of niello is quite traditional in thai jewelry, and I can well imagine that there might be a variate formula made, perhaps with other metals, such as maybe without the silver, that might then have a completely different name, with other traditional uses. what I like about this hypothesis is not just that, for me, it seems to fit your descriptions, but that since there are numerous variations in the formulas that can be used to make neillo or neillo-like substances, these variations could easily account for the several variations you cite in it's appearance and the like... Hope thats of interest and use. Peter Rowe |
The smell of sulfur also puts me to think that what you are referring to
is "niello". For more information on it see the following website: http://ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/nillo-work-10-1.htm good luck |
I would second Peter. It sounds like a neillo or neillo-like
substances. Almost all amulets and Buddha figures are mass produced, mostly cast, check out the amulet wholesale market at the temple opposite the Golden Mount.... my 2c hanuman http://www.ganoksin.com |
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