Text, folio 46 (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

Dominant colour

Text, folio 46 (recto), 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 strip with three raised sections. Each section has rows of tiny, sharp letters carved into it. The letters are black and stand out against the light wood. It looks like an old printing block or a stamp used for copying text. This is actually a page from a very old Buddhist text. The carving style suggests it was made by hand, likely for copying religious writings. If you like this, look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more historic manuscripts.