The painting of an Amitabha triad visualizes the Buddha preaching in his Pure Land. In this standard composition of a preaching Amitabha, the Buddha, depicted here in a frontal view, is seated in lotus posture on a high throne flanked by the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta.

The Buddha is shown with a halo and framed by a mandorla. He has a round face and his two hands are raised to display a preaching mudra with his thumbs touching his middle fingers. The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, represented in three-quarter view at the proper left, is holding a willow branch in his right hand and a kundika bottle in his left hand. An image of a seated Amitabha Buddha is depicted in his crown. The posture of the bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta echoes that of Avalokiteshvara, but his left hand looks as if it is covering the sutra case held by his right hand.

Red, green, and blue are the principal colors, and gold defines the details. Decorative patterns, all painted in gold, adorn the garments of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas. The Buddha’s robe is marked by lotus scroll roundels and peony scrolls, and the garment hung over his right arm has a phoenix-and-cloud pattern. The skirts of Avalokiteshvara and Mahastamaprapta have roundels filled with lotus scrolls and chrysanthemums, respectively.

In this painting, the serene expression of the Buddha and the relatively lively postures of the bodhisattvas are represented in a harmonious manner. The work can be dated to the mid-fourteenth century based on the somewhat mannered depiction of the bodhisattvas’ veils and the rather small lips of all three figures.

Paintings of an Amitabha triad represent one of the principal Pure Land iconographies. Goryeo 고려 高麗 believers apparently used them to visualize the Western Paradise, and they must have been produced in large quantity. Despite this, less than ten examples are known.

—Chung Woothak, Professor Emeritus, Dongguk University, Seoul