Buddha Amitabha and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas (Amita paldae bosal do 아미타팔대보살도 阿彌陀八大菩薩圖)

Korean Art, July 15–September 15, 1981; by Ann Yonemura (shown with F1904.13)

This painting is a masterpiece of Korean Buddhist painting of the late Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty. At the center of the composition, Amitabha, the Buddha associated with the salvation of sentient beings, is enthroned upon a dais. His hands are held in the symbolic gestures representing preaching. Around him, grouped symmetrically in formal frontal poses, are eight bodhisattvas. One, Ksitigarbha [Kshitigarbha], who saves the deserving even from the Buddhist Hell, wears a distinctive patterned headdress.

Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 Buddhist paintings are very closely modeled after Chinese Buddhist paintings of the Sung [Song] 宋 dynasty (960–1279), but they developed a distinctive delicacy of their own. This is especially evident in the detailed treatment of the patterns of the costumes of Amitabha and the bodhisattvas. The translucence of their overgarments is skillfully rendered in white with touches of gold. The precision of this composition is especially evident in the placement of the perfectly circular haloes of the figures.

Studies in Connoisseurship: 1923–1983, September 23, 1983–March 1, 1984; by Ann Yonemura (shown with F1904.13)

When purchased from Yamanaka and Company in 1906, this impressive painting was attributed to a Chinese painter, Chang Ssu-kung [Zhang Sigong] 張思恭, who is unrecorded in Chinese sources but mentioned in the Japanese Kundaikan sayuchoki 君台観左右帳記 as a Sung [Song] 宋 dynasty painter of Buddhist figures. Subsequently, John Ellerton Lodge, the first Director of the Freer Gallery, revised the description to "A fairly good Yuan‑Ming 元明 work."

Only in 1965 was the painting recognized to be a Korean work probably datable to the late Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty (918–1392). The confusion between Korean Buddhist paintings and those from the Sung [Song] 宋 or Yuan 元 dynasty that are likely to have served as their models arose in part from the disappearance of such paintings from their native country, where a period of iconoclasm and the decline of Buddhism beginning early in the Yi 李 dynasty [also called Joseon 조선 朝鮮 period] (1392–1910) contributed to the poor survival of the elegant Buddhist paintings created under court patronage in the Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty. Recent studies by Japanese, Korean, and European scholars have clarified the unique features of Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty Buddhist paintings, which have survived principally in the collections of Japanese Buddhist temples, from where a number have entered European and American collections.

The subject of Amitabha and Eight Great Bodhisattvas appears principally in surviving Buddhist paintings from Korea, although it seems likely to follow a Chinese prototype. The Freer painting reflects one of two major archetypes of this subject in which Amitabha, enthroned in the center, is flanked by two groups of four bodhisattvas, including his principal attendants: Avalokitesvara [Avalokitshvara] (right‑hand foreground), who is distinguished by the small image of Amitabha in his crown, and Mahasthamaprapta, whose crown is embellished with a vase. The specific attributes held by the individual bodhisattvas vary somewhat among the extant versions of this subject. The hooded figure of Ksitigarbha [Kshitigarbha], the only bodhisattva not wearing a princely jeweled crown, represents a special form of this deity that is especially prevalent in Korean Buddhist painting. The hooded Ksitigarbha [Kshitigarbha] also appears in Chinese or Central Asian Buddhist paintings, particularly those from Tun‑huang [Dunhuang] 敦煌. Amitabha and his attendant bodhisattvas are especially worshiped in East Asia for their power to save sentient beings from endless cycles of birth and rebirth. Avalokitesvara [Avalokiteshvara] is generally associated with compassion, but Ksitigarbha [Kshitigarbha] is believed to descend even into Hell to rescue souls that have acquired some merit on earth.

This painting, originally a hanging scroll that was remounted as a panel, exhibits many stylistic details characteristic of Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty Buddhist paintings, including the delicate but abundant details painted in gold, the elaborate superimposed textile patterns, many of which have parallels in Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty inlaid lacquers or celadons, and the precise delineation of contours and facial features. In its high degree of formalism—both in its almost rigidly symmetrical composition and the complex precision of the patterned garments—this painting represents a late phase of development in Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 Buddhist painting and is probably datable to the very end of the Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 or early Yi 李 dynasty [also called Joseon 조선 朝鮮 period], around the end of the fourteenth century.

Korean Art, December 17, 1984–June 23, 1986

The Buddha, wearing a red cloak with gold motifs, is seated on an elaborate lotus throne with his hands in a gesture of preaching. Standing in front of his dais in symmetrical groups are eight attendant bodhisattvas, each of whom is portrayed with an identifying attribute. The depiction of these deities in sumptuous garments and transparent scarves is close in style to Chinese Buddhist paintings of the Sung [Song] 宋 period (960–1279), and it is possible that this scroll was based on a Chinese prototype.

Buddhist Art, May 9–December 20, 1993; by Louise Cort
Amitabha and Eight Great Bodhisattvas
Korea
Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty, 14th century
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink, color, and gold on silk

Amitabha, known in Korean as Amita‑bul 아미타불 阿彌陀佛, the Buddha who promises salvation to all believers, is seated in the center of a group of eight bodhisattvas (enlightened beings). The Buddha wears a red robe embellished with gold patterns, while all but one of the bodhisattvas wear jeweled crowns and fine, translucent garments. Only one, Kshitigarbha, who has the power to save even those who have been reborn in Hell, wears a simpler, hooded garment. Under court patronage Korean Buddhist art of the Koryo [Goryeo] 고려 高麗 dynasty (918–1392) developed an extraordinarily refined style.

Goryeo 고려 高麗 Buddhist Paintings: A Closer Look, February 25–May 28, 2012; by Keith Wilson (shown with S1992.11 and F1904.13)
One undecipherable seal in lower left
Korea, late Goryeo 고려 高麗 dynasty, mid- to late 14th century
Hanging scroll mounted as a panel; ink, color, and gold on silk

Shown with his arm raised in the gesture of teaching, the central deity is Amitabha, the compassionate Buddha who preaches in his Western Paradise. He is joined by four pairs of benevolent Buddhist deities called bodhisattvas. The two foremost bodhisattvas encased in transparent veils are his spiritual companions Mahasthamaprapta (left), who has a vessel of spiritually refreshing liquid in his crown, and Avalokiteshvara (right), who bears a tiny representation of Amitabha. Together these three assist believers in their quest for rebirth in Amitabha’s heavenly Pure Land. Those reborn in hell can be redeemed by Kshitigarbha, who wears a blue hooded garment and carries a transparent "wish-granting jewel."

Goryeo 고려 高麗 Buddhist Paintings: A Closer Look
Inspired by subjects and compositions originating in China, these religious icons illustrate a distinctly Korean achievement that was not duplicated elsewhere in East Asia.

Buddhism was introduced to the Korean peninsula by Chinese monks in the late fourth century CE. Within two hundred years, the faith was flourishing under court patronage that lasted nearly a millennium. These three paintings [S1992.11, F1904.13, and F1906.269] were created during the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, toward the end of this long era of royal support. Not made for grand temple halls, in which monumental murals were painted directly on the walls, these detailed images were intended for closer viewing in more intimate settings.

All of the icons in this gallery promise salvation, release from the karmic cycle, and rebirth in a Buddhist heaven, or “Pure Land.” Modern scholars believe that these images were produced both to aid private meditation and to symbolically guide mortal souls to paradise at death. For both functions, the works would have been displayed in close proximity to the believer.

The paintings’ visual appeal results from precise draughtsmanship, saturated mineral pigments, extensive use of gold, and detailed designs representing woven textile patterns. The painters added depth by simulating transparency and translucency, both by adjusting color values—as seen on Kshitigarbha’s “wish-granting jewel” and Avalokiteshvara’s crystal beads—and superimposing gauzy fabrics executed with fine networks of thin white lines. To model surfaces and make them appear more three-dimensional, the artists experimented with applying pigment to both sides of the silk surface, allowing the viewer’s eye to blend the colors and visualize more rounded forms.