Buddhist Monk Kŭmp’adang Seated on a Mat and Holding a Staff in His Left Hand and a Buddhist Rosary in His Right Hand
late 18th century or early 19th century
Description
Painted in ink, mineral colors, and gold leaf on coarsely woven silk, this painting represents an elderly Buddhist monk seated cross-legged on a bamboo mat decorated with geometric designs. An inscription brush-written in gold pigment indicates that the monk belongs to the Sŏn sect (Chinese, Chan; Japanese, Zen); the inscription further identifies the monk as Master Teacher Kim P'a-tang. The monk holds a staff in his proper left hand and a Buddhist rosary in his right hand. The monk's head and face are shaven. The monk wears a charcoal gray robe over pale gray underrobes. A red patchwork apron tied with white and green cords covers the monk's abdomen; the apron extends around the monk's proper right side to cover his back as well; the edge of the apron's back appears below the monk's proper left elbow. The wood graining is carefully detailed in both staff and rosary; in addition, gold foil highlights embellish the top and bottom of the staff, suggesting the metal ends of the monk's actual staff. The green background is intricately decorated with the bajixiang (Chinese, "Eight Auspicious Emblems") set amidst scrolling clouds. The red apron is embellished with characters in gold leaf, each character set on a small square green ground, as follows: Korean, ch'ŏn; Chinese, tian; near the monk's proper left shoulder, Korean, wang; Chinese, wang; at lower right front corner of red apron, Sanskrit "seed" character; at lower right back corner of red apron. Although bamboo mats had appeared in portraits, both religious and secular, by the mid-Chosŏn period, decorated bamboo mats seem not to have appeared until the eighteenth century. They become a typical feature of secular portraits in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. As a religious work, however, this painting would seem to date to the early or mid-eighteenth century. The silk is coarsely woven; fortunately, the original backing paper is present, so the pigments in the interstices of the silk have not been lost in remounting. The gold leaf used for the Chinese characters on the apron is lifting in localized areas; in fact, it has flaked away in a few areas, and it has completely disappeared from the character wang, which can be read from the "ghost imprint" left by the adhesive that once held the gold leaf in place.
Dimensions
painting proper: 109.2 x 73.6 cm (43 x 29 in.) frame: 144.5 x 93 cm (56 7/8 x 36 5/8 in.)
Provenance
Korea (1960's); purchased by Jerry Lee Musslewhite, sold; through the Estate of Jerry Lee Musslewhite; to Harvard Art Museum, 2010.
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