Artwork

Text, folio 177 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, folio 177 (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 painted representation of folio 177 (recto) from a manuscript of the *Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines* (Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā‑sūtra). Executed on a narrow, light‑brown wooden strip, the work records three blocks of text rendered in dark brown ink, with two small perforations flanking the central passage.

Subject & Meaning

The depicted text belongs to a key Mahāyāna Buddhist scripture that expounds the concept of emptiness and the path to enlightenment. By reproducing a page of this sutra, the painting underscores the reverence for sacred literature and its role in devotional practice.

Technique & Style

The artist employed a fine brush to apply a natural dye‑based ink onto a smooth wooden surface, achieving a clear, legible script. The composition is linear and utilitarian, emphasizing the textual content over decorative elements, while the two drilled holes suggest a functional aspect, perhaps for binding or display.

History & Provenance

Created by an unidentified hand, the work likely originates from a tradition of manuscript illustration in East Asia, where painted copies of sacred texts were used for teaching or ritual. Its precise date and geographic origin remain undocumented, and it has been catalogued as part of a collection of Buddhist manuscript reproductions.

Context

The *Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā* was widely circulated across China, Korea, and Japan from the early medieval period onward. Paintings of its pages served both as visual aids for monastic study and as objects of veneration, reflecting the integration of art and scripture in Buddhist cultural contexts.