Text, Folio 25 (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 25 (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 wooden block with three rectangular sections. Each section has rows of tiny, raised letters carved into it. The letters are all the same style and look like they’re meant to be stamped onto paper. The wood has a smooth, worn look, and there are two small holes near the ends. These blocks were used to print Buddhist texts. The letters are arranged to print pages of scripture, line by line. It’s a way to make copies of important writings without hand-copying every single word. If you’re curious about how this works, look up chiaroscuro—though actually, this is more about printing techniques. Try searching for block printing instead.