Artwork
Text, Folio 21 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 21 (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. This fragment comes from a palm-leaf manuscript containing verses of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra, a key Mahayana Buddhist text.
About this work
Overview
Three distinct textual sections are separated by small perforations, a feature common in early Indian manuscript formats designed for binding and handling.
This fragment comes from a palm-leaf manuscript containing verses of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra, a key Mahayana Buddhist text. The medium is a thin, polished sliver of wood, likely palm, inscribed with script arranged in vertical columns. Three distinct textual sections are separated by small perforations, a feature common in early Indian manuscript formats designed for binding and handling.
Subject & Meaning
The text preserves doctrinal teachings on transcendent wisdom, central to Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Its content, drawn from the Perfection of Wisdom sutras, emphasizes emptiness and non-attachment. The physical form—fragmented and portable—suggests use in ritual recitation or study, reflecting the devotional and pedagogical role of such manuscripts in monastic communities.
Technique & Style
The script is written in a precise, angular Brahmi-derived script, likely early Gupta period. Ink, probably carbon-based, was applied with a stylus or reed pen. The grid structure indicates careful planning for line spacing and textual integrity. The wood surface was smoothed and possibly treated to prevent cracking, showing attention to material durability for repeated use.
History & Provenance
This fragment likely originated in northeastern India between the 5th and 8th centuries CE, a period when palm-leaf manuscripts were widely produced in Buddhist centers. Its survival is rare; most such texts decayed in humid climates. The presence of perforations suggests it was once part of a bound codex, possibly transported or stored in monastic libraries before being dispersed.
Context
Palm-leaf manuscripts were the standard medium for preserving religious and scholarly texts in ancient India before paper became common. This fragment reflects a tradition where scripture was both sacred object and practical tool. The use of wood, though less common than palm, points to regional variations in material availability or scribal preference in certain monastic communities.
Legacy
Fragments like this preserve the material culture of early Buddhist learning. They offer insight into scribal practices, textual transmission, and the physicality of religious study in pre-modern South Asia. Though incomplete, such artifacts anchor scholarly reconstruction of the sutra’s early circulation and the daily rhythms of monastic life.
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 21 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 80 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 170 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 77 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 40 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 173 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 138 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)