Text, folio 179 (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

Dominant colour

Text, folio 179 (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 three rectangular sections. Each section is filled with tiny, evenly spaced holes arranged in rows. The wood looks worn but sturdy, and the holes are dark against the lighter wood. These aren’t random holes—they’re used to stamp text onto paper. Think of them like a giant typewriter, but instead of letters, they press ink to create sacred Buddhist writings. If you’re curious about how this works, look up chiaroscuro—though actually, this is more about a printing technique called woodblock printing.