Artwork

Text, folio 3 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, folio 3 (verso), 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

This is a long, narrow wooden panel covered in tiny, neat rows of black text.

This is a long, narrow wooden panel covered in tiny, neat rows of black text. The letters look carved or pressed into the wood, arranged in three sections. Two small circular holes are spaced evenly near the top.

The text is part of a Buddhist scripture, written in an ancient style. It’s old—dated to 1119 by a calendar used in Nepal.

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Overview

The object is a slender wooden board, its surface filled with tightly set black characters that appear to have been either incised or impressed. The inscription runs in three distinct blocks, and two evenly spaced circular perforations are positioned near the upper edge of the panel.

Subject & Meaning

The writing comprises a passage from the Buddhist Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā), a key Mahāyāna sutra that expounds the doctrine of emptiness and the path to enlightenment.

Technique & Style

The text is rendered in an archaic script characteristic of medieval Nepalese manuscript tradition, employing a uniform, linear hand that emphasizes clarity and ritual precision. The uniformity of the rows suggests a systematic approach to copying sacred texts.

History & Provenance

A dated colophon records the year 1119 according to the Nepalese calendar, placing the panel in the early twelfth century. Its survival on wood indicates it was likely used as a portable reference or teaching aid within a monastic setting.

Context

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Nepal was a vibrant center for Buddhist scholarship, producing numerous manuscript copies of the Prajñāpāramitā literature. Wooden panels such as this were common for itinerant monks who required durable, lightweight texts for travel.

Legacy

The panel exemplifies the material culture of medieval Buddhist learning in the Himalayas, offering insight into the transmission of scriptural knowledge and the practical concerns of monastic education during that period.