Text, Folio 146 (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 146 (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 letters. The letters are arranged in neat columns, like pages of a book. Small white dots mark the edges, and the wood has a warm, aged look. These blocks were used to print Buddhist texts. The letters are reversed so ink would stamp them correctly onto paper. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more printed texts like this.