Author(s)
Peter Dekker
First published
11 August 2020
Last updated
7 October 2020
Language: Sinhalese
Source: Standard literature
Description
Dẹla or "net" is the Sinhalese term for a decorative motif that consists of a mesh of lines resembling a net.1
Dẹla lacquer work decoration on a Sinhalese cane.
Sold by Mandarin Mansion in 2020.
The spine of a Sinhalese knife, decorated with dẹla.
Listed at Mandarin Mansion.
The "netting" on the knife above is done with lozenges, each with an engraving in the center. Coomaraswamy suggests these are either stylized feathers or pineapple skin.2
Further reading
Article: Sinhalese lacquer work
Notes
1. See Ananda K. Coomaraswamy; Medieaval Sinhalese Art, Pantheon Books, New York, Second Edition of the 1908 original, 1956. Pages 216-217.
2. Ibid.
