Most versions of this set of amateur reproductions are due to the work done by David Sansoni on amateur mobile-camera pictures taken by Michael Roberts; but the first ‘snap’ of the lion frieze is by Roberts at his Thuppahi worst.
Exif_JPEG_420 ………. “Lions from inner wall of PADENIYA TEMPLE” ….
A short memo at the end of this production written by the late Laki Senanayake (who passed away on the 20th May 2021) indicates that Barbara’s etchings commenced in 1962 as one aspect of a larger work with Ulrich Plesner and Ismeth Raheem. So it best to commence this set of limited illustrations by presenting tha MEMO because it is capped by a miniature sketch of the shrine room at Embekke Devale in Barbara’s hand.
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ThE EMBEKKE temple was one of those topics that I researched over a great length of time. The wood carvings on the pillars and the cross beams cannot be found anywhere in Sri Lanka. The roof of this temple is another spectacle to behold. To cut a long story short, the wooden carving found at the Magul Maduwa is thought to have been done by the same carpenters that adorned the wooden pillars at Embekke…
I lived within visual distance of the Embekke temple. The artisan and musician families of the area, including the old carpenter family, say they originated from Dondra. Many Kandyan craft families, including the much celebrated Devendra Mulachari, recite the same tale. This was rather interesting for me as my/our ancestors too were from historic Dondra. To what extent wood was used in the ancient temple complex(es) before its destruction in 1587 (by the Portuguese) is unknown. In its day it was the largest (multi-religious) temple complex on the Island.
I have this original first edition book in red cloth. Been trying to find out more about it and possibly sell it