Text, Folio 33 (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 33 (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 panel covered in tiny, precise squares of carved text. The letters are arranged in neat rows, packed tightly across the surface. Two small circular holes appear near the center, like tiny windows in the sea of words. The text looks like an ancient script, possibly Buddhist, and the panel feels like a piece of a much larger book. The craftsmanship suggests it was made by hand over a long time. Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more works like this.