Ksitigarbha and Ten Kings Painting of Bokcheonsa Temple

At the centre of the painting Ksitigarbha (Jijang bosal) sits in full lotus position on a lotus pedestal; in front of the pedestal, the Boy of Good and Evil stands on a blooming lotus flower against a golden halo. On either side stand the Venerable Domyeong and King Mudok in attendance, and to the sides and in the row behind are the Ten Kings, five to a side. Behind the Ten Kings, their various attendants — judges, messengers, prison wardens and maids-in-waiting — are arranged symmetrically in two rows. The principal image, Ksitigarbha, has a large head and broad shoulders but comparatively narrow knees. The right hand is raised above the chest, while the left hand, holding a transparent wish-fulfilling jewel, rests in front of the abdomen. Over the shaven head is a hood reaching to the shoulders, and from the crown of the head a translucent white halo of light extends to left and right. The lotus pedestal on which Ksitigarbha sits shows overlapping lotus petals rendered in light and dark ultramarine. The circular head halo is painted green with concentric bands of white, vermilion and ultramarine at its edge, and the circular body halo is painted with wave patterns in green, vermilion, ultramarine and white, its edge treated in the same way as the head halo. Though shown in three-quarter profile, the Venerable Domyeong and King Mudok have faces similar to that of the principal image. Domyeong has a shaven head and wears a blue jangsam (monk's robe) with a vermilion kasaya, while Mudok wears a red wollyugwan (crown) and a red robe. The Ten Kings wear either an ilwolgwan (sun-and-moon crown) or a wollyugwan, and either hold a ceremonial tablet with both hands or press their palms together in prayer. At the top of the painting, the bodies of the ox-headed and horse-headed demon attendants are painted white, with light ink shading along the body outlines to give a sense of volume. Distinctively, the outline of the judges' official hats is rendered in a raised technique that builds up green pigment in relief. At the bottom, the body and body outline of the Boy of Good and Evil are rendered in the same manner as those of Domyeong. Billowing clouds in red and green fill the empty spaces and mark the divisions between the figures. According to the painting's inscription, the work was made in 1892 at Gwaneumsa Temple on Gwanaksan Mountain in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province; how or why it later came to Bokcheonsa Temple is not known. Although some damage to the canvas is visible in places, the painting, at around 2 m across, is relatively large and generally in good condition. It is a heritage item of value for the study of late Joseon iconography of Ksitigarbha and the Ten Kings, and of the monk-painters who produced such works.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongdo-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산