Nectar Ritual Painting of Gaeunsa Temple

This nectar ritual painting (gamnodo), a Buddhist painting depicting rites for feeding hungry ghosts and guiding the dead to salvation, was made in 1883 through donations from around thirty court ladies, and painted by Daeheo Chehun together with Cheongi, Suil and Taesam. It is currently enshrined on the left wall of the Daeungjeon Hall of Gaeunsa Temple. At the top of the horizontally long composition the Seven Buddhas stand side by side with hands joined in prayer. On the left, the Amitabha Triad and their retinue are shown descending on clouds to welcome the dead, together with kings, queens, generals and ministers, former kings and queens, and the Thunder God holding drumsticks. On the right, the Ksitigarbha Triad (the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, the Venerable Domyeong and King Mudok) and the guiding Bodhisattva of the Way are depicted likewise descending to welcome the dead. This painting shows the typical iconography of nectar ritual paintings that were popular in the Seoul and Gyeonggi region from the mid-19th century onward, faithfully depicting both the Buddhist ritual scenes and the everyday life of ordinary people of the time, reflecting the practice of the Suryukjae, a Buddhist rite for the souls of the dead on land and water. Other surviving nectar ritual paintings of this kind include the Suraksan Nectar Ritual Painting (1868), the Gyeongguksa Temple Nectar Ritual Painting (1887), the Buramsa Temple Nectar Ritual Painting (1890), the Bongeunsa Temple Nectar Ritual Painting (1892), the Cheongnyongsa Temple Nectar Ritual Painting (1898) and the Bogwangsa Temple Nectar Ritual Painting (1898). This work stands out for its varied cast of figures and lively poses, giving the whole scene an animated atmosphere. As a painting produced through donations from around thirty court ladies, it also vividly shows how Buddhist paintings were sponsored within the royal court of the time.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seongbuk-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산