Text, Folio 142 (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

Byzantine icon painting Classical Antiquity

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 142 (recto), 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 three vertical sections. The wood looks worn, with two small metal rings on the sides. The holes form patterns of dots that look like they could be used to press ink through. This kind of tool is called a *stencil block*—it was used to print text or designs onto paper or fabric. The dots create letters or images when ink is applied. If you want to see more like this, check out The Cleveland Museum of Art.