Text, Folio 152 (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 152 (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 wooden block with carved text. The surface is divided into three panels, each filled with tiny, precise lines forming a grid of characters. The wood has a warm brown tone, and the carving looks deep and deliberate. The text is part of a Buddhist scripture, written in an old style. The block was made in 1119, nearly a thousand years ago. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more works from this era.