Artwork
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Back Cover
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Back Cover is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1119 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The object serves as a visual representation of religious themes associated with the Prajnaparamita tradition.
The back cover of this 1119 religious painting, created at Vikramaśīla University, depicts a single flower. As a component of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, the work functions within a Buddhist context where floral imagery often symbolizes purity, impermanence, or the blossoming of wisdom. While the specific theological nuance of this solitary floral motif is not detailed in the available records, its inclusion on the reverse of a text dedicated to the Perfection of Wisdom suggests a devotional or symbolic role intended to complement the manuscript's primary teachings. The object serves as a visual representation of religious themes associated with the Prajnaparamita tradition.
Technique & Style
The Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita back cover is recorded as a painting dating to 1119, produced at Vikramaśīla University and depicting a single flower. Its classification as a religious painting indicates a devotional function, while the rendering of a floral motif reflects the stylized naturalism common in Buddhist manuscript illumination of the period. The work is executed in pigment on a support typical of manuscript production, though specific materials are not documented.
The piece is presently housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection (accession 1938.301.7) and is attributed to an unknown artist.
History & Provenance
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines back cover was created in 1119, a date attested across the record. Its place of manufacture is identified as Vikramaśīla University, situating its production within a major medieval Buddhist center of learning. The work is classified as a religious painting and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, where it is catalogued under accession number 1938.301.7.
No further details regarding an individual commissioner, prior ownership sequence, or exhibition history are documented in the available sources.
Overview
This painting serves as the back cover for a manuscript titled Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, also known as Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita. It features a composition of eight distinct figures, each enclosed within its own circular frame. The artwork's primary function was to protect and adorn this significant Buddhist text, offering a visual introduction to its spiritual content.
Artist & collection
- Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Top Cover
Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita
Prajnaparamita flanked by two female figures, folio 1 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf (recto)
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines: Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita: Decorated Leaf
Prajnaparamita flanked by a white female figure and a white bodhisattva, folio 90 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Four bodhisattvas and two attendants flanking Vajrasattva, bottom cover, from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Untitled
Bodhisattva Manjushri with two forms of Avalokiteshvara, folio 348 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)