Master Yeongeunsasamyeongdangdae Portrait

This is a portrait of Samyeongdang, an eminent monk and righteous-army commander of the mid-Joseon period, shown full-length and seated in a chair, in a three-quarter left-facing view. The painting bears no inscription recording its date or painter, but it is presumed to have been made in the same year (1788) and by the same hand as the Portrait of National Preceptor Beomil. The painting survives in clean, undamaged condition and shows the typical style of late-Joseon portraiture, so its value for preservation is considerable. Yujeong (1544-1610) was an eminent monk of the mid-Joseon period, of the Pungcheon Im clan; his childhood name was Eunggyu, his courtesy name Ihwan, and his sobriquets Samyeongdang and Songun. Born in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, he entered the priesthood at Jikjisa Temple in Gimcheon in 1559 after his father's death, and three years later passed the monastic examination. In 1575, the eighth year of King Seonjo, he was recommended as abbot of Bongeunsa Temple, the leading temple of the Seon school, but declined and instead went to Myohyangsan Mountain to seek out the monk Hyujeong at Bohyeonsa Temple and study Seon doctrine with him. He stayed for a time at Yeonggamsa Temple on Odaesan Mountain. When the Japanese invasions broke out, he raised a monk militia at Yujeomsa Temple and, as commander-in-chief of the righteous monk-soldiers, won great merit in battle; King Seonjo rewarded his achievements by appointing him overseer of both the Seon and Gyo orders. He built up a long record of service in national defence and diplomacy, and died on 26 August 1610. His writings include the seven-volume Collected Works of Master Samyeongdang and the one-volume Bunchungseonallok, and his posthumous title was Jatonghongjejonja. This portrait was originally enshrined, together with the Portrait of National Preceptor Beomil (a Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Tangible Cultural Heritage), in the Chilseonggak shrine of Yeongeunsa Temple in Gungchon-ri, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok, and was moved to the Woljeongsa Museum of Buddhist Art on 18 June 1999, where it is now on display. With no inscription, the date and painter cannot be confirmed, but it is presumed to have been painted at the same time (1788) and by the same painter, Singyeom, as the portrait of National Preceptor Beomil. The face is rendered realistically and in fine detail, expressing not so much severity as a dignified yet benevolent bearing. A thick, full beard covers the chest, and the broad shoulders convey the spirit of a monk-commander. The face is painted in bright tones, but the lips are drawn in an unusually vivid red. The left hand holds a monk's staff, and a separate footrest is depicted below. The blue-grey robe, red kasaya, the ornate rendering of the chair and the technique used for the patterned floor mat are all in the traditional style, and, being executed in the same technique as the Yeongeunsa portrait of National Preceptor Beomil, the two appear to have been painted at the same time. Because the face is emphasised to bring out the sitter's spiritual character, the lower body is drawn more meagrely than the upper body in a somewhat schematic manner, so that the overall proportions are not entirely convincing. Some ten portraits of Samyeongdang are known to survive today, but this example is especially valuable for preservation: it is linked to his period of residence on Odaesan Mountain, the painting itself is clean and undamaged, and it shows well the style of late-Joseon portraiture.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pyeongchang, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산