Text, folio 155 (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 155 (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 strip covered in tiny, precise square holes arranged in neat rows. The holes form patterns of text, like pages of a book but without ink—just empty spaces. The wood looks worn, with a warm brown color and two small metal pins holding it together. The holes spell out words in a script you might not recognize. This isn’t a painting but a kind of stencil used for printing sacred Buddhist texts long ago. If you’re curious about where to see more like this, check out The Cleveland Museum of Art.