Artwork
Text, Folio 37 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 37 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1119 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The object is a narrow wooden panel, measuring roughly the length of a folio, whose surface is densely covered with minute incised characters. The script runs in tight rows across the entire expanse, filling the strip with continuous text. The wood bears a warm, aged brown tone and shows signs of wear, including two small perforations near its margins.
Subject & Meaning
The engraved inscription corresponds to a passage from the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, a key Mahāyāna Buddhist text known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. The selection of this sutra reflects the devotional intent to preserve and transmit sacred teachings through durable, tactile media.
Technique & Style
Each character is rendered by careful carving with a fine tool, leaving visible tool marks that attest to the artist’s precision. The uniform depth and consistent spacing of the incisions create a legible yet compact script, demonstrating a high level of craftsmanship aimed at long‑term preservation of the text on a wooden substrate.
History & Provenance
The panel belongs to a manuscript tradition that employed wood as a durable carrier for Buddhist scripture, a practice common in regions where paper was scarce or vulnerable. Its current location is the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed among other examples of ancient carved manuscripts, offering insight into historical methods of textual transmission.
Artist & collection
Text, Folio 8 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 38 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 33 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)