Hanging Painting of Bogyeongsa Temple, Pohang

The hanging painting of Bogyeongsa Temple was made in 1708, the 34th year of King Sukjong's reign, and repaired seventeen years later in 1725, the first year of King Yeongjo's reign. The painters were Uigyun, Seongmin, Seongik, Jibung, Chehwan, Kwaemin and Samhak, all of whom also took part in producing Buddhist paintings at Donghwasa Temple and Pagyesa Temple on Palgongsan Mountain, Daegu, and appear to have been active mainly in Gyeongsang Province. On a huge canvas measuring some 10 m, this gwaebul, a large Buddhist painting hung outdoors for great ceremonies, depicts alone a single Buddha in bodhisattva-like form holding a lotus stem; it is the largest and most accomplished of Uigyun's known works. Although the composition of a single figure on such a large canvas is very simple, the painting achieves fine harmony and contrast using only shades of red, green and blue, and no attention to detail is spared in its secondary ornament, such as the green patterning on a gold ground on the bands of the Buddha's kasaya robe or the detailed patterns at its hems. The type of gwaebul iconography seen at Bogyeongsa, showing a Buddha wearing an ornate crown bearing images of five Buddhas and holding a lotus flower, was a popular gwaebul format in the Gyeongsang region from the late 17th to the early 18th century, making this a significant work for studying the transmission of gwaebul iconography.

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Where it is

Region

Pohang, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물