Artwork

Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1938.301.147.a
Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

About this work

Overview

The work titled Text, Folio 147 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines is presented as a painted wooden panel. It consists of three elongated rectangular zones, each filled with a dense grid of minute symbols arranged in orderly rows. The surface is smooth and narrow, emphasizing the linearity of the script‑like markings.

Subject & Meaning

The panels display a sequence of characters that do not correspond to any readily identifiable language, suggesting an intentional abstraction of textual form. Their association with the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita sutra implies a conceptual link to Buddhist philosophical texts, though the precise semantic content remains indeterminate.

Technique & Style

The artist employed fine brushwork to render the tiny glyphs, achieving a high level of precision on a wooden substrate. The uniformity of the grid and the consistent spacing of symbols indicate a systematic, perhaps calligraphic, approach rather than a narrative illustration.

History & Provenance

The piece is attributed to an unknown creator, and no specific date or origin is recorded in the available documentation. It is catalogued as part of a larger manuscript collection of the Perfection of Wisdom sutra, suggesting it may have been extracted from a monastic library or archival compilation.

Context

Within the broader tradition of Buddhist manuscript art, the work reflects a practice of reproducing sacred texts in miniature, portable formats. Its wooden medium aligns with historical methods of preserving texts in regions where paper was scarce or vulnerable.