Text, folio 48 (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 48 (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 block with three carved sections. Each section holds rows of tiny, sharp letters pressed into the wood—like raised braille, but for printing. The letters are black against the light wood, packed tightly in lines. This looks like an old printing block, used to stamp text onto paper. The precision suggests it was made by hand, letter by letter. Check out The Cleveland Museum of Art to see more objects like this.