Text, Folio 31 (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 31 (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, narrow wooden block covered in tiny, precise holes arranged in rows. The holes form patterns of text, like a grid of dots that would let ink bleed through. Two small round marks sit near the top, maybe for handling. The block is part of an old Buddhist scripture, carved to print pages of sacred text. Each hole stands for a character, a way to stamp words without hand-copying. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see how they display this kind of printing tool.