Text, Folio 35 (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

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 35 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is a 14 unspecified by Unknown, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 14
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This is a long, narrow wooden block covered in tiny, evenly spaced holes. The holes form rows of text, arranged in three sections. The wood has a smooth, worn look, and two small round marks sit between the sections. The holes were used to print Buddhist scripture—this is a page from a very old book. The text is dense, like a puzzle of dots waiting to be filled in with ink. If you like this, check out The Cleveland Museum of Art for more ancient texts like it.