Artwork
Text, Folio 60 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 60 (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 narrow wooden panel that functions as a painted manuscript page.
About this work
Overview
It bears densely packed, uniformly spaced lines of text arranged in vertical columns, separated into three sections by small circular markers.
The object is a narrow wooden panel that functions as a painted manuscript page. It bears densely packed, uniformly spaced lines of text arranged in vertical columns, separated into three sections by small circular markers. The wood exhibits a warm, aged patina, suggesting considerable antiquity. The work is identified as a folio from a manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, the "Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines."
Subject & Meaning
The inscribed text represents a portion of the Prajnaparamita sutra, a foundational Mahayana Buddhist scripture that expounds the concept of emptiness and the path to enlightenment. By reproducing this passage on a portable wooden board, the manuscript served both devotional and instructional purposes, allowing practitioners to study the teachings in a compact, durable format.
Technique & Style
The script was applied by hand using fine brushes or possibly incised with a stylus, producing a continuous, linear quality reminiscent of printed book pages. The even spacing and consistent columnar layout reflect a disciplined calligraphic practice, while the division into three sections by circular marks indicates an organizational scheme for reading or recitation.
History & Provenance
The panel originates from a manuscript tradition that flourished in East Asia during the early medieval period, when Buddhist texts were frequently transcribed onto wooden supports for durability. Though the precise date and place of production are not recorded, the material and stylistic attributes align with works created between the 9th and 12th centuries.
Context
Manuscripts of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita were central to monastic curricula and ritual recitation across Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Buddhist communities. Wooden folios such as this one complemented paper codices, offering a resilient medium for texts that were repeatedly handled in liturgical settings.
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 58 (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)
Text, Folio 27 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 61 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 63 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 65 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 55 (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 180 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 76 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)