Artwork
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1119 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This artwork is a decorated leaf, likely extracted from a larger manuscript, titled Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.
About this work
Overview
The piece's worn condition, including torn and stained edges, reflects its age and historical use as part of a significant religious text.
This artwork is a decorated leaf, likely extracted from a larger manuscript, titled Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. It features three distinct painted scenes integrated onto a long, narrow strip of faded cloth. These illustrations punctuate a background primarily composed of black ink text arranged in columns. The piece's worn condition, including torn and stained edges, reflects its age and historical use as part of a significant religious text.
Subject & Meaning
The painted sections depict figures in red robes, presented in calm, contemplative poses, either seated or standing. Each figure is carefully framed by gold and blue borders, suggesting their importance within the manuscript's narrative. Given the title, Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, these individuals likely represent significant Buddhist teachers or enlightened beings, illustrating key concepts from a foundational text on the "perfection of wisdom" within Mahayana Buddhism.
Technique & Style
The artwork combines painted illustrations with calligraphic text on a textile support. Three small, distinct scenes are rendered with figures clad in red robes, set against a background of black ink script. Gold and blue borders meticulously frame each painted section, creating a visual distinction between the illustrative elements and the surrounding textual content. This integration of painting and writing on cloth is characteristic of illuminated manuscripts from certain historical periods.
Artist & collection
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf (recto)
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Top Cover
Leaf from a Jain Manuscript: Kalpa-sutra: text (verso)
Text, folio 4 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 5 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 3 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)