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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



The Matale work is by far the most distinctive, and may be 

 described in detail, after which the Hurikaduwa and Angal- 

 maduwa methods will be referred to. 



The Matale work is called niyapoten weda or finger-nail 

 work ; this name is given because the work is done chiefly 

 with the finger or thumb nail. The lac pigments are prepared 

 as follows. The freshly collected twigs bearing the lac insects 

 are dried in the sun ; the resin is then removed, pounded, 

 and winnowed or sifted. The crushed lac is enclosed in narrow 

 bolster- shaped bags of thin cloth ; the bags are heated over 

 charcoal fires and twisted till the melted lac oozes through 

 the cloth. The lac is scraped off ; a part of it is next softened 

 over a fire and attached to the point of a small stick, and then 

 again warmed and a second stick attached. The softened 

 lac is then drawn out between the two sticks, worked about, 

 doubled up, and redrawn many times until it assumes the 

 form of a long stout ribbon of glistening fibrous lac of a bright 

 golden brown colour. The pigments are now mixed into the 

 lac by softening it and pounding the coloured powders into 

 it. The four colours used are red, yellow, green, and black ; 

 of these, the red is vermilion (sadilingam) ; the yellow, orpi- 

 ment (hiriyal): the green is yellow with the addition of 

 " dhobies' blue", formerly " punil " (indigo) ; and the black is 

 prepared in the same way as the black used in painting. 



The lac thus prepared is used for the decoration of a large 

 variety of articles, especially wooden sticks of various kinds, 

 such as staffs (herimiti), handles of ceremonial spears, banners, 

 fans, &c, ceremonial pingos, &c, and also to many other 

 things such as powder horns (wedibehet karaka), clarionets 

 (horanewa), book covers (pot kambi), &c, and it is also used as 

 an inlay in ivory, horn, and chank work. For this purpose 

 the ivory is incised with lines and circles which are filled up 

 with the coloured lac. In the case of turned ivory or horn, 

 this is effected by holding a piece of lac against it, while 

 revolving on the lathe ; the lac heated by friction is softened 

 and fills up the incised grooves. The ornament in Kandyan 



