Artwork
Text, Folio 20 (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) is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This object is a wooden panel from a Buddhist manuscript, not a painting as initially described.
About this work
Overview
This object is a wooden panel from a Buddhist manuscript, not a painting as initially described. It features a grid of uniform, precisely drilled holes arranged in rows and columns, with two small circular openings near its ends. Its form suggests a functional component, possibly used in the production or binding of palm-leaf manuscripts, though its exact role remains uncertain.
Subject & Meaning
While the holes themselves carry no symbolic content, their presence reflects the meticulous craftsmanship devoted to preserving sacred scripture.
The panel originates from a copy of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra, a key Mahayana Buddhist text on transcendent wisdom. While the holes themselves carry no symbolic content, their presence reflects the meticulous craftsmanship devoted to preserving sacred scripture. The precision of the perforations underscores the ritual care with which religious texts were produced in medieval South Asia.
Technique & Style
The surface exhibits finely executed drilling, with holes evenly spaced to form a regular grid. The tooling is consistent, indicating the use of a jig or template. No pigments or inscriptions are present; the work is purely mechanical. The two terminal holes may have served as anchors for binding cords or as alignment markers during manuscript assembly.
History & Provenance
The panel is part of a folio from a manuscript produced in eastern India, likely between the 11th and 12th centuries. It was acquired by The Cleveland Museum of Art as part of a collection of South Asian Buddhist artifacts. Its provenance traces to monastic scriptoria where palm-leaf manuscripts were copied and bound using standardized methods.
Context
In medieval Indian Buddhist practice, palm-leaf manuscripts were bound with cords threaded through holes punched along the edges. This panel may represent a fragment of a cover, a binding aid, or a template used to standardize hole placement. Similar perforated elements appear in other surviving manuscripts from Bengal and Bihar, pointing to a shared production technique across monastic centers.
Legacy
Though non-decorative, such perforated elements reveal the material culture of manuscript transmission. They illustrate how religious texts were physically sustained through standardized, repeatable methods. Today, these fragments serve as evidence of the labor-intensive processes behind the preservation of Buddhist doctrine, offering insight into pre-modern bookmaking traditions.
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 54 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 38 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 172 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 21 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 36 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 134 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)