Buddha Triad of Jingwansa Temple (Shakyamuni Bul, Maitreya Bodhisattva ,jehwagalra Bodhisattva)

This is a triad of clay images of Shakyamuni Buddha, currently enshrined as the principal image in Nahanjeon Hall of Jingwansa Temple. The central seated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is flanked by two attendant bodhisattva images standing in attendance. As the votive objects placed inside the statues (bokjang) have not been opened and the re-gilding is thick, an exact date is difficult to determine, but the overall stylistic features — the treatment of the heads and faces of the triad and the folds of the robes — indicate a work in the style of the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century. All three statues were made of clay, with the hands later carved separately in wood and fitted on. The principal image has a slightly elongated upper body, yet the near-square face and broad shoulders give it a somewhat robust appearance. The neatly rendered facial features, and the arched eyebrows continuing into a prominent nose bridge, clearly display characteristics typical of Buddhist statues of the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century. The hair is rendered in tight snail-shell curls (nabal) with a very low usnisha, and the crown jewel and mid-topknot jewel appear almost to touch one another. The robe covers both shoulders (tonggyeon), with the undergarment shown horizontally across the centre of the chest; the drapery flowing from the right shoulder wraps around the right armpit and is tucked in beneath the left armpit, the thick omega-shaped folds enveloping the whole body cascading elegantly downward. The attendant bodhisattvas on either side show a style similar to that of the principal image, with the hand gestures on the left and right rendered as mirror images of one another for balance. They wear ornate and finely worked crowns, and the thick yet simple drapery folds and somewhat elongated upper bodies resemble those of the principal Buddha. The difference from the principal image lies in the narrower width across the knees and a gaze directed somewhat lower. Although not large in scale, this triad is notable among late Joseon-period Buddhist statues in the Seoul area for being comparatively early in date and for having all three figures of the triad preserved together. Although it was re-gilded in recent years, its original condition is well preserved, and in particular the crowns of the bodhisattva statues are also in good condition, without disarray or loss.

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Where it is

Region

Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산