Artwork
Text, Folio 4 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 4 (verso), 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 single folio, the verso side of page four, from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, a Buddhist text known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. The leaf measures roughly the size of a standard manuscript page and is composed of light‑brown parchment with a weathered, uneven left edge, indicating considerable age and use.
Subject & Meaning
The page contains a continuous block of script divided into three distinct sections, each differing in line count. The text is intended for careful study, reflecting the sutra’s role as a doctrinal guide within Mahayana Buddhism, offering teachings on the nature of emptiness and the path to enlightenment.
Technique & Style
The script is rendered in a formal, cursive hand characteristic of medieval Buddhist manuscripts. Letterforms are fluid yet disciplined, with occasional unfamiliar symbols that may represent ligatures or doctrinal abbreviations. The ink appears dark and has penetrated the parchment, while the overall layout suggests a deliberate, meditative approach to reading.
History & Provenance
The folio forms part of a larger codex that has been preserved within the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its exact origin, including the date of production and the monastic community that created it, remains unidentified, though the material and script point to a historical context of Buddhist manuscript culture.
Context
Manuscripts of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita were widely copied across Central and East Asia from the early medieval period onward. Such texts were central to monastic curricula and were often produced in scriptoria attached to monasteries, serving both devotional and instructional purposes.
Artist & collection
Text, Folio 8 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 6 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 31 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)