Daeungjeon Hall Guardian Deities Painting of Bongeunsa Temple

This guardian deities painting (sinjungdo), a depiction of the assembly of deities who protect Buddhism, was made and enshrined in the seventh month of 1844 (the twenty-fourth year of the Chinese Daoguang reign) together with a hyeonwangdo, a painting of the king who judges the newly deceased, used in funerary rites. Painted in colour on a silk ground 200.5 cm high and 245 cm wide, it is quite large for a work of this type. The upper part of the composition is filled with a nine-panel (gugokbyeong) landscape screen. To the proper right are guardian figures including Witaecheon (Skanda) and the Eight Classes of Heavenly Dragon Guardians (cheollyongpalbu); to the proper left are heavenly beings led by Beomcheon (Brahma) and Jeseokcheon (Indra). Beomcheon and Jeseokcheon, each surrounded by a square halo, face one another: on the left Beomcheon, with a third eye marked on his forehead, wears a tall crown and stands with hands joined in prayer, while opposite him Jeseokcheon, dressed in a robe bearing a golden appliqué badge (bo), stands with both hands tucked into his sleeves. Beomcheon wears green and Jeseokcheon red, the two forming a striking complementary contrast, and the beautiful patterning and lavish gold-outlined colouring of their robes make clear that they are foremost among the assembly of guardian deities. White pigment was applied to the faces and hands, but as with the other figures it has suffered considerable fading and flaking; even so, the round faces with their small, neat features remain serene and full. Below Beomcheon and Jeseokcheon stand, side by side, the Deva of the Sun Palace and the Deva of the Moon Palace, each dressed in civil-official robes and wearing a wonyugwan-style crown topped with a scripture. Their gold, richly patterned belts (gakdae) and gold-decorated crowns seem to convey the dignity of their heavenly rank. To their right are musician heavenly maidens playing the pipa, saenghwang (mouth organ), daegeum (transverse flute), piri (pipe) and janggu (hourglass drum), together with a heavenly maiden holding an incense burner and others holding dang and beon banners, accompanied by attendant boys. Like Beomcheon and Jeseokcheon, these figures have round, full faces with small features, and apart from the piri and daegeum players at the bottom, who face one another, all stand quietly with little sense of movement. Witaecheon and the Eight Classes of Heavenly Dragon Guardians hold swords and spears and face to the right, as if listening to the heavenly maidens' music. Witaecheon wears a helmet lavishly adorned with bird feathers and holds a golden trident; below him stand, with dignified bearing, the Mountain Spirit holding a white feathered fan, the Kitchen God, the Dragon King, the Well God, and armed guardian deities bearing weapons. Unlike the heavenly beings above, these figures are painted with dark brown faces, wide-open eyes and thick beards, features that convey their character as dharma-protecting guardians well. The colouring is dominated by red...

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산