Text, Folio 126 (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 126 (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 board covered in tiny, evenly spaced holes arranged in rows. The holes form patterns of text, like blocks of letters or symbols. The wood shows some wear, with small white marks near the edges. The patterns look like they’re meant to help print text—maybe for a Buddhist scripture. The date carved into the wood says 1119, but the board itself feels old and used. If you’re curious about how this kind of tool works, look up *chiaroscuro*—though wait, that’s not quite right. Actually, this is closer to a printing technique called The Cleveland Museum of Art holds more examples like this.