Text, Folio 144 (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 Religious

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 144 (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 block with rows of tiny, carved squares. The squares form letters in a language you might not recognize. The wood has a warm brown color, and the carving looks precise and even. These blocks were used to print Buddhist texts by hand—each square holds ink to stamp pages. The date carved into the wood is from over 900 years ago. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more objects like this.