Three Bodhisattvas Painting of Bongeunsa Temple

This Three Bodhisattvas painting (Samjang bosal-do, depicting the bodhisattvas of heaven, earth and the underworld) was produced in 1892 together with the altar painting and the Nectar Ritual painting for Daeungjeon Hall. When first made, it is thought to have served as the middle-altar painting and to have been enshrined on a side wall of Daeungjeon Hall, but it is now enshrined on the back of the rear wall behind the main altar painting. It is a large tapestry painting on cotton, 198.4 cm in height and 402.5 cm in width. Its composition, typical of Three Bodhisattvas paintings, places Cheonjang Bosal (the Bodhisattva of Heaven) and his retinue at the centre of the wide rectangular field — nearly four metres across — with Jiji Bosal (the Bodhisattva of the Earth) and his retinue to the right, and Jijang Bosal (the Bodhisattva of the underworld) and his retinue to the left. In the upper part of the picture, coloured clouds are painted against a blue sky, and below them unfolds the assembly of the three bodhisattvas. Cheonjang Bosal, Jiji Bosal and Jijang Bosal all sit in the full lotus position on tall Sumeru pedestals, densely surrounded on either side and below by their many attendants. The three bodhisattvas share round faces with small, well-proportioned eyes, noses and mouths, and each has a double-ringed halo; the body-halos of Jiji Bosal and Jijang Bosal are rendered in wavy bands of colour, giving the impression that light radiates outward from the bodhisattvas' bodies. Cheonjang Bosal is depicted with his retinue at the very centre of the painting. Seated in a dignified posture, he wears an elaborate crown and a red robe decorated with circular medallion patterns; his right hand is raised before his chest with two fingers joined, and his left hand rests on his knee with two fingers likewise joined. The names of the attendants surrounding him are not known, but as recorded in the inscription of the 1776 Three Bodhisattvas painting of Cheoneunsa Temple, his principal attendants to left and right are presumed to be the True Pearl Bodhisattva and the Great True Pearl Bodhisattva, while the other attendants are thought to represent the Four Formless Heavens, the Eighteen Heavens, the Six Heavens of Desire, the sun and moon deities, the assembled star deities, and the five kinds of transcendent beings with supernatural powers. Like Cheonjang Bosal, these figures too have round faces with small features, and surround him either with palms joined in prayer or holding ritual implements. Jiji Bosal, painted to the left of Cheonjang Bosal, differs from him only in the attendants shown around him; his robe, crown and ornaments are almost identical. The exact names of Jiji Bosal's attendants are likewise unknown, but based on the Cheoneunsa painting they are presumed to include the Naga Tree Bodhisattva and the Dharani Bodhisattva, together with the assembled rope-bearing spirits, the assembled vajra deities, the assembled eight classes of divine beings, the assembled dragon kings, the great yaksa spirits, the rakshasa spirits, the mother-of-demons spirits, and the spirits of the great rivers. However, since no attendants in bodhisattva form appear here, the Naga Tree Bodhisattva and the Dharani Bodhisattva seem to have been omitted. Jijang Bosal, to the right of Cheonjang Bosal, holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in his left hand and joins the fingers of his right hand, seated in the full lotus position on a lotus throne. Shown as a shaven-headed monk, he differs from Cheonjang Bosal and Jiji Bosal only in his head and half-lotus posture; otherwise his face and bodily form are, like theirs, dignified and well-proportioned. Jijang Bosal's attendants are placed off to the left, with the Venerable Domyeong (holding a monk's staff) and King Mudok (with palms joined) in attendance below him, and beside them the Ten Kings of the underworld, their record-keeping officials, messengers, child attendants and jailers surrounding him. The colouring is dominated by red and green, with white, yellow, blue and gold also used. Although red predominates overall, the abundant use of white patterning keeps the painting from feeling heavy or muddy. Blue is also noticeably used in places — in the sky background and in the robes and weapons of the attendant figures — and gold is applied here and there for a lavish effect. The brushwork is mainly the firm, straight wire-like line, with strong shading applied to the faces of the attendants and meticulous rendering down to individual strands of beard, showing delicate and careful technique. The inscription records that, beginning on the seventh day of the fifth month of the eighteenth year of the Guangxu era (1892), a set of six paintings — for the upper altar, the middle altar and the nectar-ritual altar — was made and enshrined at Bongeunsa Temple, with the dedication: 'By this merit may it extend to all; may we, together with all sentient beings, alike attain buddhahood'; the eye-opening consecration took place on the twentieth day. Recorded among the ritual-organising group are: the witnessing monks Sawol Ji-chang, Boun Geun-yeop, Deungun Su-eun and Daeyeon Wol[-chu]; the chanting monks Bigu Seong-yun and Insun; the hall attendants Bigu Ho-jeong and Suhyeon; the chief painter Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi, with Geumgok Yeong-hwan and Myeong-eung Hwan-gam; the monks Gyeong-yeop, Geun-jo, Sohyeon and Changjo; the novice monks in charge of provisions, Beop-o and Chwiryeon; the novice Juksun; the special-duty novices Inchan and Taeheum; the vice-supervisor Chimgok Subeop; the temple manager Wolbong Beopneung; the solicitor of donations, Mrs O Cheong-jeong-wol; and the great patrons Min Du-ho (born in the gichuk year, male) and the Mun clan (born in the musul year, female, together with her husband) — praying that whatever misfortune or calamity might befall them be forever dispelled, that they enjoy long life and added years of peace and comfort in this life, that they attain the highest official rank with the fortune of a thousand grades, and that in the Pure Land they may behold the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and swiftly awaken to the great vow of the unborn Dharma-forbearance. This Three Bodhisattvas painting was donated and produced at the wish of Min Du-ho, a powerful official of the late Joseon period, who prayed for long life and the dispelling of misfortune; it was painted by the chief painters Yeongmyeong Cheon-gi, Geumgok Yeong-hwan, Myeong-eung Hwan-gam, Gyeong-yeop, Geunjo, Sohyeon and Changjo. Notable for its strong shading and fine brushwork, it is a rare surviving example of a Three Bodhisattvas painting from the Seoul and Gyeonggi 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