Artwork
Text, Folio 117 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 117 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The object is a slender wooden printing block, its surface densely incised with rows of tiny characters.
About this work
Overview
The object is a slender wooden printing block, its surface densely incised with rows of tiny characters. The wood, a warm golden‑brown, provides a stark contrast to the dark, meticulously cut glyphs that fill the entire panel. Its dimensions and format indicate it was designed for the reproduction of a Buddhist scripture.
Subject & Meaning
The block bears the text of the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā‑sūtra, known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. This extensive Mahāyāna sutra expounds the doctrine of emptiness and the path to enlightenment, serving as a central teaching in Buddhist practice.
Technique & Style
Each character was hand‑carved with a fine tool, producing uniform, crisp strokes that could endure repeated ink application. The precision of the incisions reflects the high level of craftsmanship required for woodblock printing, a method that allowed the wide dissemination of sacred texts in pre‑modern East Asia.
History & Provenance
The block originates from a manuscript tradition that employed woodcut printing to reproduce Buddhist scriptures. While its exact origin is not recorded, such blocks were commonly produced in Chinese monastic workshops between the 9th and 13th centuries, later entering museum collections through acquisitions of Asian art.
Context
Woodblock printing revolutionized the transmission of Buddhist literature, making extensive sutras like the Perfection of Wisdom accessible to a broader monastic audience. The block exemplifies the intersection of religious devotion and technological innovation that characterized East Asian scriptoria.
Legacy
Objects of this type illustrate the early history of mass‑produced religious texts, prefiguring later developments in printing technology. They remain valuable for scholars studying the material culture of Buddhism and the evolution of textual transmission in the medieval period.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Text, Folio 110 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 179 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 173 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 117 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 20 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 69 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 89 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)