Artwork

Text, folio 162 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, folio 162 (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 object is a narrow, rectangular folio from a medieval Buddhist manuscript containing a portion of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, commonly known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. The paper, now yellowed and bearing signs of extensive handling, measures only a few centimeters in height but extends lengthwise, divided into three distinct text blocks.

Subject & Meaning

The inscribed passage belongs to the Prajnaparamita corpus, a central Mahayana text that expounds the doctrine of emptiness and the perfection of wisdom. As a scriptural excerpt, the folio would have served as a study or recitation aid for monastic scholars, embodying the sutra’s philosophical emphasis on transcending conceptual dualities.

Technique & Style

The calligraphy is executed in a tightly packed, cursive script characterized by fluid curves and looping strokes that maximize the use of space. Each line is rendered with uniform thickness, suggesting the work of a skilled scribe trained in the precise, miniature script typical of East Asian Buddhist manuscripts of the period.

History & Provenance

Originating from a larger codex of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, the folio likely dates to the medieval era when such sutras were widely copied for monastic libraries. The paper’s wear, small edge perforations, and overall condition indicate frequent handling, possibly in a teaching context, before entering a modern collection where it is now conserved as a representative example of Buddhist textual art.