Text, Folio 95 (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_iconography Classical Antiquity Religious

Dominant colour

Text, Folio 95 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is a 14 unspecified by Unknown, a byzantine_iconography work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

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

About this work

This is a long, narrow wooden block covered in tiny, raised dots. The dots form neat rows, like a grid of Braille or tiny stitches. Two small metal rings hang from the top. These dots aren’t random—they’re part of an old Buddhist text. The block was used to stamp ink onto paper, creating precise copies of sacred writings. If you’re curious about how this worked, look up chiaroscuro—though in this case, the real technique is called *woodblock printing*.