Artwork Page for Eleven Volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra

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Eleven Volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra

late 1100s

Japan, Heian period

(794–1185)
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Medium
Eleven handscrolls; ink and gold on dyed paper
Credit Line
Anonymous Gift 1969.130.2
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

These scrolls are part of the 600-volume Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The sacred text addresses the perfection of wisdom and the nonsubstantiality of all phenomena, or the emptiness of all things. It takes the form of Shakyamuni Buddha’s preaching at four locations. These scrolls are from the Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 Lines, which occupies the first 400 volumes. At one time, religious clergy kept them in a lacquered wood repository on view nearby. They are now too fragile to open and we will conserve them over time.
Eleven vertical handscrolls of gold ink on dark blue paper are aligned in a horizontal row. Each cylinder is capped with dark, rounded knobs. Braided green and tan cords wrap around the centers, some trailing loose ends. The sixth scroll is partially encased in a white paper sleeve. Surface wear reveals aged fibers, contrasting the deep indigo paper with the delicate gold calligraphy that marks each manuscript.

Eleven Volumes of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra

late 1100s

Japan, Heian period (794–1185)

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