Buddhist Painting (The Vulture Peak Assembly) and Excavated Relics of Bongnimsa Temple, Yeongcheon

This painting is a Yeongsanhoesangdo (Vulture Peak Assembly) produced in 1724 by Gwaemin and Chejun, disciples of the monk-painter Uigyun, who was active around Palgongsan Mountain from the late seventeenth to the early eighteenth century. It shows the typical "crowd" composition, in which bodhisattvas, disciples and guardian deities densely surround the central Sakyamuni Buddha. The tall halo of the main Buddha, the pointed usnisa (the raised protuberance atop the head symbolising enlightenment), the volumetric rendering of the figures, and the solid, weighty depiction of the Four Heavenly Kings all resemble features found in the Vairocana Buddha Triad painting made for Girimsa Temple by his teacher Uigyun, showing that the master's style was well inherited. At the same time, the strong contrast of red and green in the colouring, and the composition in which the attendant figures densely surround the main Buddha, differ from Uigyun's own work; this stylistic feature is considered of great academic significance, in that it came to lead the style of Buddhist painting after 1728. The painting is also accompanied not only by a dedicatory inscription but by a properly formatted consecration pouch containing a votive text and a huryeongtong (a sacred container holding relics and sutras placed inside the painting during consecration), providing invaluable information for understanding the circumstances of the painting's production.

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Where it is

Region

Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물