Hwan Cathedral Portrait

The subject of this portrait is the Seon master Hwanseongdang Jian, renowned for his scholarship in Hwaeom Buddhist philosophy. It is a full-length seated portrait shown from the left at a seven-tenths angle: in his left hand he holds the handle of a buljja, a ceremonial fly-whisk, while his right hand, little finger extended, lightly grasps its tassel. On the right side of the picture, made by joining three panels of silk, is a title inscribed in gold on a vermilion ground reading 'Portrait of the Great Monk Hwanseongdang', and on the reverse is an ink inscription recording that it was made in the fourth year of the Jiaqing era, in midsummer, confirming that the work dates to 1799 and was produced by the master painter Ok-in. Overall, the balanced composition, delicate patterning, splendid gold ornament and the contrast of red, green and blue show off the artist's skill, making this a fine work. The monk-painter Ok-in was accordingly an outstanding painter of his day, who also produced the Ksitigarbha Painting in Tongdosa Temple's Myeongbujeon Hall (1788), the altar painting of the Yonghwajeon Hall (1798), and the Portrait of Chupadang Daemyeong (1801). The picture measures 118.0 cm in width and 81.7 cm in height.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산