Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c31.20

c31.20

*Lotus* The lotus petal (*pala peti*) border or moulding is ancient, and its origin clear from the petals of lotus medallions, such as we see at Barāhat. Where the lotus petal motif was first used as a moulding it would be hard to say; but it is evidently the equivalent and source of the classic ‘egg and dart’ in the West, while it has retained its individuality in the East.