The bodhisattva Kshitigarbha is a compassionate deity who has taken a vow to save all sentient beings in the era between the death of the Buddha Shakyamuni and the coming of the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya. Unlike the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who saves people from the sins and hardships of this life, Kshitigarbha rescues souls suffering in hell. Veneration of Kshitigarbha became popular early in Korean Buddhism as families worried that their deceased relatives might be reborn in hell. Mostly depicted as a monk with a shaved head, Kshitigarbha usually holds a monk’s staff in one hand and a jewel that shines in the dark in the other hand.

In this standard depiction of Kshitigarbha, the bodhisattva is turned slightly to his left and holds a jewel in his right palm and a long staff in his left hand. Like the other illustrations of the subject in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the bodhisattva is shown with his head shaved like a monk.

Even though the image is relatively small and its surface has darkened with age, it is not difficult to discern the painting techniques since the pigments have largely remained intact. The robe was painted in blue, the skirt in red, and the skin was rendered in gold. The robe is adorned with chrysanthemum roundels, which are about three centimeters in diameter. The skirt has spiral cloud patterns, and a dianthus motif on the hem of the skirt is shown at the bodhisattva’s chest; a triangular ornament on the left side of the chest secures the inner garment. The outlines of the body, as well as the facial features, were depicted in fine red lines, while the outlines of the robe and skirt were all rendered in gold.

These coloring techniques, the extensive use of gold, the choice of decorative motifs, and the elaborate details prove the work was produced during the Goryeo 고려 高麗 period. The lack of movement in the figures, as well as the dense use of decorative patterns with few unornamented areas on the garments, suggest the painting dates to the mid-fourteenth century.

—Chung Woothak, Professor Emeritus, Dongguk University, Seoul