Text, Folio 104 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Byzantine icon painting Classical Antiquity Religious

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 104 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is a 14 unspecified by Unknown, a Byzantine icon painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

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

About this work

This is a long, flat wooden board covered in tiny, evenly carved squares. The squares form rows of text, all identical in size and shape, like a grid of stamps. Two small circular holes punch through the wood near the edges. The text looks like it was made by hand, not printed—each square holds a single character. It’s almost like a puzzle, all those little marks fitting together perfectly. If you want to see more of this kind of writing, check out The Cleveland Museum of Art.