Text, Folio 142 (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 142 (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, precise holes arranged in rows. The holes form neat, repeating patterns like text, but instead of letters, they’re empty spaces. The wood looks worn, with two small metal pegs holding it together near the ends. The holes were likely used to create stencils or print patterns—maybe for sacred writing. This kind of tool was common in ancient Buddhist traditions for copying scriptures carefully. Check out The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more objects like this up close.