Muryangsa Mireukbul Hanging Buddhist Painting, Buyeo

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.350

Category

Painting

Era

1627년(조선 인조 5)

Designated year

2025

Location

부여군, 충청남도— 충남 부여군 외산면 무량로 203, 무량사 (만수리)

Coordinates

36.317239, 126.693329Kakao address conversion

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

Maitreya Buddha Hanging Painting of Muryangsa Temple, Buyeo. A monumental hanging Buddhist painting (괘불) created in 1627 (Joseon, King Injo's 5th year) by painter-monks Beopgyeong, Hyeyun, Inhak, Huisang, and others, measuring approximately 14 meters in height. The main figure is depicted as a standing Bodhisattva wearing an elaborate crown and richly adorned body — a format that marks the inception of the 'Adorned Body' hanging painting tradition, making it a work of significant art-historical importance. It predates other National Treasure-designated hanging paintings in creation date, and the artist notation explicitly identifies the main figure as 'Maitreya' (彌勒), carrying great scholarly significance and reflecting the regional Maitreya devotion tradition of the Chungcheong area inherited from the Goryeo period. Despite its monumental scale, the balanced posture and proportions, the strong chromatic contrast between red and green, and the harmonious use of bright intermediate tones effectively convey the religious sublimity and grandeur appropriate to devotional painting. This work exerted considerable influence on subsequent hanging paintings of similar iconography, playing a central role in the spread and development of Korean hanging Buddhist paintings.

Location