Artwork

Text, Folio 16 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, Folio 16 (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. The object is a narrow wooden block, approximately the size of a folio, whose surface is densely incised with rows of miniature characters.

About this work

Overview

The object is a narrow wooden block, approximately the size of a folio, whose surface is densely incised with rows of miniature characters. The carvings form a continuous line of text, rendered in a dark hue that contrasts with the warm brown of the wood. Two evenly spaced circular perforations punctuate the block, suggesting a functional role within a larger codex.

Subject & Meaning

The incised script records a passage from the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, a Buddhist text known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. The sutra expounds on the concept of emptiness and the transcendent nature of wisdom, themes central to Mahayana doctrinal practice.

Technique & Style

The block was produced by hand‑carving a fine-grained wooden substrate with a sharp tool, achieving a uniform line width that allows legibility at a very small scale. The precision of the incisions reflects a high level of craftsmanship typical of manuscript production in East Asian woodblock traditions, where text could be reproduced or bound as part of a codex.

History & Provenance

The block originates from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, likely created in a monastic workshop where such texts were copied for ritual use. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art through acquisition of a larger set of Buddhist manuscript fragments, though the exact date of its creation remains undetermined.