Burmese Fortune Teller's Book

Painted scenes, six rows deep, unfurled like a comic strip.

A Burmese fortune teller’s book of paper and pigment, made in the 19th century, is shown here fully opened. Folding books in Burma were commonly used for texts, astrology and narrative pictures. Twelve small panels are painted in red, green, ochre and black, each with figures in palaces and landscapes. The paper is cream, with some staining and creasing along the folds. Nothing needs translating to enjoy the colors and the rhythm of the small scenes, which read left to right like pages of a comic.

Drape it across a table and let the visitors read the pictures.