Text, Folio 100 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 100 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is a 14 unspecified by Unknown, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 14
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This is a long wooden block covered in tiny, sharp metal edges. The edges form rows of characters—like a grid of script—pressed into the wood. Two small holes are drilled near the ends, and the whole thing looks worn but solid. These blocks were used to stamp text onto paper or fabric, like a giant stamp pad. The characters are uniform and precise, suggesting this was for copying long Buddhist texts. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more objects like this.