Jijangsiwangdo(2018)

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1994

Category

Painting

Era

1580년(선조 13) 추정

Designated year

2018

Location

관악구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 관악구 남부순환로152길 53 (신림동, 호림박물관)

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Ten Underworld Kings (Jijang Siwangdo) is a Buddhist altar painting conjectured to have been produced in 1580 under the auspices of a devoted patron. In the painting, the ruler of the underworld, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Jijangbosal), is flanked by his two acolytes, the Poison-less Devil King (Mudokgwiwang) and the Illuminator of the Honorable Way (Domyeongjonja). The Buddha triad is in turn flanked by the Ten Underworld Kings (Siwang), who judge the sins committed by the dead during their earthly lifetime, and their assistants, who execute the punishment of sinners according to the judgement of the kings. Although the painting appears comparatively dark, the harmony between the colors and the elaborate depiction of the details of the subjects, the Buddhist deities and the objects they are holding, make it a fine example of the genre. It is also a very rare case of a sixteenth-century Buddhist altar painting preserved in Korea today, as the great majority of such paintings are kept in collections outside Korea. The painting’s postscript contains some essential information on its background, including its production date. In view of its excellent composition and arrangement of the figures and the detailed portrayal of the Buddhist deities, it is widely regarded as a classic Buddhist painting of the mid-Joseon period.