Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
early 12th century
Medium
Opaque watercolor on palm leaf
Dimensions
Page: 2 3/4 x 16 7/16 in. (7 x 41.8 cm) Image: 2 1/2 x 1 15/16 in. (6.4 x 4.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
India, West Bengal or Bangladesh · Pala period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
Accession Number
2001.445c
Tags
Art Historical Context
These delicate leaves from the *Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra—a foundational Mahayana Buddhist text known as the "Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Lines"—hail from the Pala period (8th–12th century) in eastern India, likely West Bengal or Bangladesh. Created by the Mahavihara, associated with the renowned monastic scriptoria like those at Nalanda or Vikramashila, they exemplify the Pala school's mastery of miniature painting. During this era, the Pala dynasty fostered a golden age of Buddhist scholarship and art, producing luxurious manuscripts for temple use before the tradition waned unde...