Artwork
Text, folio 174 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 174 (recto), 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. The object is a narrow wooden leaf, measuring roughly the length of a folio, bearing three blocks of script separated by perforations.
About this work
Overview
The object is a narrow wooden leaf, measuring roughly the length of a folio, bearing three blocks of script separated by perforations.
The object is a narrow wooden leaf, measuring roughly the length of a folio, bearing three blocks of script separated by perforations. The panel, light brown with darker margins, functions as a page from a Buddhist sutra manuscript, specifically the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita). The perforations indicate that the leaf was once bound with additional leaves to form a codex.
Subject & Meaning
The inscribed text presents a portion of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, a key Mahayana Buddhist scripture that expounds the concept of emptiness and the perfection of wisdom. As a devotional and instructional work, the sutra was copied for study and ritual recitation, reflecting the spiritual priorities of its original community.
Technique & Style
The script is rendered in a foreign (likely Sanskrit or a Central Asian language) hand, incised or painted onto the wooden surface. The use of a wooden substrate, rather than paper or parchment, suggests a durable medium intended for repeated handling. The three text blocks are framed by evenly spaced holes, a practical solution for binding the leaves together with cords or strings.
History & Provenance
This folio is part of a larger manuscript that was once housed in a collection of Buddhist texts, possibly originating from a monastic library along the Silk Road. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art's holdings through acquisition in the 20th century, though the precise path of ownership remains undocumented in the available records.
Context
The Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita was widely circulated across Central and East Asia from the early medieval period onward. Manuscripts such as this one illustrate the transmission of Buddhist doctrine across cultural boundaries, often adapted to local languages and artistic conventions while preserving core philosophical content.
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 174 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 104 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 173 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 20 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 169 (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)