Artwork
Text, folio 54 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 54 (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.
About this work
Overview
The object is a narrow wooden leaf, light‑brown in tone, bearing a segment of text from the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā, a Buddhist sutra known as the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines. The page is divided into three textual blocks arranged in a regular grid, each block separated by a thin margin that creates a visual rhythm across the surface.
Subject & Meaning
The inscribed passage forms part of a larger doctrinal work that expounds the concept of emptiness and the path to enlightenment. As a fragment of the sutra, the text serves both a liturgical function and a didactic one, guiding practitioners in the study of Mahāyāna philosophy.
Technique & Style
The script is rendered in a diminutive, highly detailed hand, each character meticulously formed within the confines of the grid. The uniformity of the layout reflects a disciplined calligraphic tradition, while the smooth finish of the wood suggests careful preparation of the support before inscription.
History & Provenance
The leaf originates from a manuscript tradition that circulated in East Asia during the medieval period, though the specific date and place of production remain uncertain. The artist or scribe is unidentified, a common circumstance for many monastic texts where collective authorship was emphasized over individual attribution.
Context
Pages such as this illustrate the transmission of Buddhist scripture through hand‑written codices, preceding the advent of printed editions. Their preservation offers insight into the material culture of religious study, revealing how textual organization and aesthetic considerations were intertwined in the dissemination of Buddhist teachings.
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 24 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 135 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 88 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 25 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 162 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 64 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 155 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 50 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)