Artwork
Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work titled *Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines* is presented as a painted wooden panel. It consists of three elongated rectangular zones, each filled with a dense grid of minute symbols arranged in orderly rows. The surface is smooth and narrow, emphasizing the linearity of the script‑like markings.
Subject & Meaning
The panels display a sequence of characters that do not correspond to any readily identifiable language, suggesting an intentional abstraction of textual form. Their association with the *Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita* sutra implies a conceptual link to Buddhist philosophical texts, though the precise semantic content remains indeterminate.
Technique & Style
The artist employed fine brushwork to render the tiny glyphs, achieving a high level of precision on a wooden substrate. The uniformity of the grid and the consistent spacing of symbols indicate a systematic, perhaps calligraphic, approach rather than a narrative illustration.
History & Provenance
The piece is attributed to an unknown creator, and no specific date or origin is recorded in the available documentation. It is catalogued as part of a larger manuscript collection of the *Perfection of Wisdom* sutra, suggesting it may have been extracted from a monastic library or archival compilation.
Context
Within the broader tradition of Buddhist manuscript art, the work reflects a practice of reproducing sacred texts in miniature, portable formats. Its wooden medium aligns with historical methods of preserving texts in regions where paper was scarce or vulnerable.
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 132 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 7 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 64 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 170 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 177 (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 13 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)