Artwork
Text, folio 165 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 165 (verso), 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.
About this work
Overview
The object is a painted wooden block measuring roughly a folio page, featuring three raised strips of tiny, incised dots that compose lines of script. The wood displays a warm brown hue, while the dotting is a darker, nearly black tone, creating a stark visual contrast. Small white marks appear near the center of each strip, likely indicating later repairs or marginal notes.
Subject & Meaning
The incised text reproduces a passage from the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita‑sutra, also known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, a central Mahāyāna Buddhist scripture. The work serves both as a devotional object and as a means of transmitting the sutra’s teachings through visual and tactile means.
Technique & Style
Artists employed a fine-point carving tool to puncture the wooden surface, creating uniform dots that form legible characters when viewed from a distance. The raised dot technique, akin to block printing, allows the text to be read by touch as well as sight, reflecting a specialized practice in Buddhist manuscript production.
History & Provenance
The block originates from a manuscript tradition that flourished in medieval East Asia, where wooden printing blocks were commonly used for religious texts. While the precise date and place of manufacture remain uncertain, the piece is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, indicating its acquisition by a major Western institution.
Context
Such tactile script blocks illustrate the interplay between art, technology, and spirituality in Buddhist cultures, where the physical act of carving was considered a meritorious practice. The object exemplifies the material culture of scriptural transmission and informs contemporary understandings of historic printing methods.
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 162 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 64 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 32 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 29 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 175 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)