Artwork
Text, Folio 40 (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) 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 wooden printing block, measuring roughly the length of a folio and divided into three carved panels.
About this work
Overview
The object is a wooden printing block, measuring roughly the length of a folio and divided into three carved panels. Each panel bears rows of minute, sharply incised characters that form Buddhist sutra text. The surface shows signs of use, including wear and two small circular depressions near the centre of each panel, indicating repeated printing activity.
Subject & Meaning
The block contains portions of the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā, a key Mahāyāna scripture known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. By reproducing this text, the block served as a vehicle for disseminating teachings on emptiness and the nature of ultimate reality within Buddhist practice.
Technique & Style
Carvers incised the characters directly into the wood, creating raised outlines that could receive ink and transfer onto paper. The precision of the tiny, dot‑like strokes reflects a meticulous hand‑press printing tradition, where uniform lineation ensured legibility across multiple impressions.
History & Provenance
Blocks of this type were employed in hand‑printing Buddhist sutras before the advent of movable type in East Asia. The specific block now resides in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, which holds a broader assemblage of printed religious artifacts documenting the evolution of Asian book production.
Context
During the period when such blocks were produced, monastic communities relied on woodblock printing to mass‑produce sacred texts for study and ritual. The Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā was especially popular, prompting the creation of numerous copies to support doctrinal dissemination across the Buddhist world.
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 170 (verso), 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 173 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 48 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 35 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 44 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 169 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)