Buddhas of the Three Ages Painting of Bongeunsa Temple

This painting is currently enshrined as the altar painting behind the Buddha images (huhbul taenghwa) in Daeungjeon Hall of Bongeunsa Temple. Since the three Buddha statues seated in front of it date from the seventeenth or eighteenth century, it is thought that when the murals of Daeungjeon Hall were newly made in 1892, this Buddhas of the Three Ages painting was produced in the same format to match the existing statues. It is a large colour painting on cotton, 319.7 cm in height and 291.8 cm in width — somewhat narrower than the present rear wall of the hall, but seemingly made to match the dimensions of that wall as they were in 1892. In composition, Sakyamuni Buddha is placed at the centre of the upper register, with Bhaisajyaguru Buddha (the Medicine Buddha) to the left and Amitabha Buddha to the right, the three forming the Buddhas of the Three Ages side by side; around them, above, below and to either side, are arranged six bodhisattvas, eight arhats, the Four Heavenly Kings, two manifestation buddhas, a dragon king and a dragon girl, all encircling the three Buddhas. Sakyamuni sits in the full lotus position on a blue-lotus throne atop a tall Sumeru-shaped altar, set against a winnowing-basket-shaped halo. His face is broad at the forehead and somewhat narrow at the chin, with small features, and his usnisha (the cranial protuberance) rises to a sharp point. His build is robust; he wears a red outer robe over the left shoulder, its hem draped lightly over the right in a modified version of the style covering both shoulders. Floral patterns decorate the edge of the outer robe, and the same motif decorates the undergarment, whose upper edge is distinctively cut in a broad U shape. His hands form the earth-touching mudra, signifying the subjugation of Mara, and he sits in the stable, auspicious posture known as gilsangjwa. Bhaisajyaguru, to the right, and Amitabha, to the left, share the same face, robe and posture as Sakyamuni, but their halos are rendered as double rings, and both display the nine-grade mudra of Amitabha. Below Sakyamuni stand the Venerable Kasyapa (right) and the Venerable Ananda (left), facing the central Buddha; around the halo are placed three disciples and three manifestation buddhas on either side. Above Bhaisajyaguru only the face of a dragon king appears, and above Amitabha only the face of a dragon girl. Below Sakyamuni's throne, six bodhisattvas are arranged diagonally, wearing somewhat heavy crowns and red celestial robes, standing and facing the centre. The two at the very centre are Sakyamuni's attendants, Manjusri (holding the wish-fulfilling jewel) and Samantabhadra (holding a lotus); the bodhisattva beside them, shown with a red sun on the head, is thought to be Suryaprabha (the Sunlight Bodhisattva), and the one opposite, Candraprabha (the Moonlight Bodhisattva); the two at the outer edges bear no distinguishing attribute but are thought to depict Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, the attendants of Amitabha. The Four Heavenly Kings are placed at the four corners of the painting. The king at the upper right holds a lute, the one at the lower right a sword; the king at the upper left holds a pagoda, and the one at the lower left holds a wish-fulfilling jewel and a dragon. The two upper kings face the centre of the picture while the two lower kings face outward, so that together they appear to guard all four directions. The overall composition closely resembles the Buddhas of the Three Ages painting made in 1878 for Cheongnyongsa Temple in Anseong; apart from a few additions or omissions among the attendant figures, the two paintings were clearly produced from the same underlying design. The sharp usnisha of the three Buddhas, the manner of wearing the robes, the manifestation buddhas and disciples interspersed between the figures, and the Four Heavenly Kings guarding the four directions are all identical; the only difference is that the Bongeunsa painting shows six bodhisattvas, whereas the Cheongnyongsa painting shows eight bodhisattvas and two heavenly maidens. The two paintings share this iconography because, among the monk-painters who made the Bongeunsa painting, Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi, Geumgok Yeong-hwan and Deogwol Eung-heon also took part in producing the Cheongnyongsa painting. Red is used extensively in the colouring, together with blue, white, green and gold. The interior of Sakyamuni's body-halo is painted gold, as in the Vairocana Buddha painting of Panjeon Hall (1886), while the body-halos of Amitabha and Bhaisajyaguru are rendered in varied bands of colour, giving a lavish, decorative effect. The faces of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are painted without shading, whereas the arhats and Heavenly Kings are given strong shading, executed with some exaggeration but considerable skill. The brushwork is mainly the firm, wire-like line, though finer strokes appear in the rendering of hair and beards. The painting was produced through the donations of the chief sponsor O Cheong-jeong-wol and Min Du-ho, together with a number of court ladies. Since the monk-painter in charge, Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi, is also listed among the resident monks of the temple, he appears to have been residing at Bongeunsa at the time. The inscription (hwagi) records the following: overseeing the ritual were the witnessing monks Sawol Ji-chang, Boun Geun-yeop, Deungun Su-eun and Daeyeon Wol-chu; the chanting monks Bigu Insun and Suhyeon; the hall attendants Bigu Seong-yun and Ho-jeong; the chief painter Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi, with Geumgok Yeong-hwan and Deogwol Eung-heon; the monks Bonghwa, Hye-jo and Chi-haeng; Beopneung, in charge of provisions; the novice monks Beop-o and Jong-du; the novice Ripseon; Chwiyeon; the vice-supervisor Songgok Subeop; the overall supervisor Chimsong Jongjeon; the temple manager Wolbong Beopneung; the chief solicitor of donations, Mrs O Cheong-jeong-wol; the great patrons Min Du-ho (born in the gichuk year, male) — recorded as wishing to attain the highest official rank, enjoy tenfold fortune, and gain long life and added years — and the Mun clan (born in the musul year, female, together with her husband) — recorded as praying to pass safely through calamity, enjoy good fortune, and be reborn in the Pure Land of Peace and Comfort in the Buddha's presence. From the head temple: the abbot Jeonghae Beopcheon; Chimsong Jongjeon; Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi; Gyeonghae Sin-yeong; Heogok Geun-sun; Deungun Su-eun; Hakheo Seogun; Haeong Beopseon; Wolbong Beopneung; Songgok Subeop; Bigu Taehwan; Beop-o; the court ladies and laywomen of the Sin clan (Gyeongdeokhwa), the Won clan (Deogwonhaeng), the Yi clan (Daegakhwa), the Tae clan (Myodeogun), the Yun clan (Gongdeogun), the Sin clan (Bobeopun), the Bak clan (Daehyewol), the Kim clan (Daejiwol), the Yi clan (Bomyeonghaeng), the Yi clan (Daejahaeng) and the Yi clan (Silsanghwa); and the monks Geunjo, Ho-jeong, Bongseop, Suhyeon, Seongjo, Inchan, Chwiyeon, Juksun and Taeheum. The dedication reads: 'By this merit may it extend to all; may we, together with all sentient beings, be reborn in the utmost bliss, together behold the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, and together attain buddhahood.' The work — six paintings in all, for the upper altar and the middle-altar Nectar Ritual painting combined — was begun on the seventh day of the fifth month of the eighteenth year of the Guangxu era (1892), completed after twenty days, and enshrined at Bongeunsa Temple. This painting is notable for its fine brushwork and delicate use of shading; together with the Cheongnyongsa Buddhas of the Three Ages painting, it stands as one of the representative Buddhas of the Three Ages paintings of the Seoul region, and it is accordingly designated a Seoul Tangible Cultural Heritage.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산