Text, Folio 123 (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 123 (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, narrow wooden block with rows of tiny, carved squares. Each square is empty or filled with a single character—like a stamp pad for text. The wood has a warm brown color, and the characters are black, sharp, and precise. There are three sections separated by small gaps, each packed with lines of these tiny marks. The block was used to print Buddhist scripture, stamped onto paper or fabric. The characters look like they’re part of an old writing system, maybe from Asia. If you like this, check out The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more printed texts like this.