Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c21.20

c21.20

The ivory turner's lathe is shown on Pl. VI., 4. It is extremely simple, and in principle identical with the carpenter's lathe. The essential parts of it are the wooden spindle (*liyana kaṇḍa*); the two supports embedded in the ground, the one in the figure furthest from the observer being the *piṭa-kaṇuva*, the nearer, the *vema-kaṇuva*; the *aṅdina-laṇuva* or string for turning the lathe; and the hand-rest, the *paṭṭala-lella*. The other tools used, an adze, saws, rasps and graver are seen in the foreground. It will be seen that the ivory to be turned is attached to the end of the lathe, outside the *vema-kaṇuva*, instead of between it and the *piṭa-kaṇuva*; this is very convenient for hollowing out boxes and the like.