Buddhist Painting of Cheongnyongsa Temple (The King of Sweet Dew)

A gamnotaeng is a Buddhist painting made to pray for the rebirth of ancestors' souls in paradise. This painting measures 200 cm by 237.5 cm and is composed in three tiers. At the very top is depicted an ideal, transcendent world, showing the seven Buddhas, including the Amitabha triad at the centre, and Illowang Bosal, the bodhisattva who guides departed souls to paradise. Notably, the bodies of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are painted with gold powder, a technique almost never found in other Buddhist paintings. In the middle section, against a landscape background, is depicted a ritual table laden with offerings, at which prayers are made for souls to be guided to paradise. The lower section vividly depicts various scenes of secular life, providing valuable material for the study of contemporary customs. Painted in 1692, the eighteenth year of King Sukjong of Joseon, this work is a valuable resource for the study of late Joseon Buddhist painting owing to its clear theme, stable composition and vivid colours, and it also carries great religious significance through its emphasis on the salvation of all sentient beings and the Confucian virtue of filial piety.

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Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물