Artwork

Text, folio 170 (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) 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

Three perforations—two at the ends and one central—suggest it was bound within a larger codex, likely for ritual or scholarly use in medieval South Asia.

This folio is part of a handwritten manuscript containing the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra, a key Mahayana Buddhist text on transcendent wisdom. Created on thin, light-colored paper, it features dense, evenly spaced script in a dark ink, arranged in horizontal lines across the full width. Three perforations—two at the ends and one central—suggest it was bound within a larger codex, likely for ritual or scholarly use in medieval South Asia.

Subject & Meaning

The text is a passage from the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, a scripture emphasizing the emptiness of all phenomena and the path to enlightenment through non-attachment. While the specific content of this folio cannot be rendered without translation, its presence in a manuscript tradition indicates its role in preserving and transmitting doctrinal teachings, likely recited or studied by monastic communities.

Technique & Style

The script is executed in a clear, uniform hand typical of early medieval South Asian scribal practice, with consistent letterforms and spacing. The ink, likely iron gall or carbon-based, has faded slightly but remains legible. The paper’s thin, cream-hued surface reflects locally produced materials, possibly bark or cotton fiber, prepared for writing without embellishment—prioritizing textual clarity over decorative flourish.

History & Provenance

This folio originated in a manuscript production center in eastern India or Nepal, likely between the 11th and 12th centuries. It was later collected by Western institutions in the 19th or early 20th century, entering the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through documented acquisitions. Its survival as a single folio suggests it was separated from its original binding, possibly during transit or cataloging.

Context

Manuscripts of the Prajnaparamita sutras were central to Mahayana Buddhist practice across the Indian subcontinent and Himalayan regions. Produced by monastic scribes, they served both liturgical and pedagogical functions. The presence of binding holes indicates these texts were handled regularly, preserved in monastic libraries, and possibly carried by traveling monks for study and teaching.

Legacy

As a fragment of a once-complete codex, this folio represents the enduring transmission of Buddhist philosophy through handwritten tradition. Though stripped of its original context, it remains a tangible link to medieval monastic scholarship and the material culture of religious learning in South Asia, offering insight into the labor and devotion behind textual preservation.