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| Home > Permanent Exhibitions > National Treasures |
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| This Water-moon Avalokitesvara (Suwol-gwaneum-do) is an iconographic painting of the boy pilgrim Sudhana traveling to Mt. Potalak to seek wisdom from Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Many paintings like this were created late in the Goryeo dynasty when Avalokitesvara was widely worshipped. Avalokitesvara is seated on a rocky outcrop, facing slightly toward the right, with one leg crossed and a translucent veil covering her crown. A rocky cliff and two bamboo trees are shown in the background, and on the right side edge of the rock-throne is a ritual vase holding a willow branch. In the lower part where Avalokitesvara’s gaze ends, the boy Sudhana stands in a pose of adoration surrounded by a pond dotted with lotus flowers, coral, pearls and jewels. Although this piece follows the traditional |
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format and rendition style of Goryeo Moon-Water Avalokitesvara paintings, it is distinguished by the circular lotus petal motif placed above the background motif. The veil that hangs from the crown is translucent, and an illuminated nimbus, a decorative pattern unique to Goyreo Buddhist paintings, is placed on top of the white mandorla in the background. The graceful and delicate portrayal of the deity is striking. There are two other Moon-Water Avalokitesvara paintings in Korea that were designated as cultural properties: one owned by Uhak Cultural Foundation (National Treasure No. 1286) and the one in Hoam Museum (National Treasure No. 926). |
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In the 5th year of Goryeo King Chungsuk’s reinstatement (1336), Avatamsaka sutra had been copied down, using silver powder mixed in gluey water to write on indigo paper. The sacred book of Avatamsaka is based on the philosophy of Buddha and people being one. Together with Lotus sutra, Avatamsaka sutra (basic scripture of Avatamsaka Sect) had a substantial influence in establishing Buddhist beliefs in Korea.
Avatamsaka sutra in our collection totals 7 volumes 7 folded: Of the 60 fascicles of Avatamsaka sutra jinbon translated by Bultabaltara of East Chin, fascicles28, 29, and 38 are included, and of the 80 fascicles of jubon translated by Shichanantuo of Tang Dynasty, fascicles 24, 53, 56, and 60 are included in our collection. According to the epilogue in fascicle 60, the head monk of Girim Temple in Gyeongju had made prayers with the former military officer Yim Seo and Jijikunsan. Of the 180 fascicle translations of Avatamsaka jinbon, jubon, and jeongwonbon, we have in our collection 7 volumes 7 folded. The front cover of each volume is decorated in silver with lotus stems encircling the lotus flower. These relics are in excellent quality and serve as valuable material for studying scripture copies. |
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| The Buncheong epitaph tablet and the Buncheong bottle were excavated together. An epitaph was usually made with stone or ceramics, with the name or the achievement of the dead on it. The epitaph tablet in our collection is a long cube, with a hole on the top and the bottom. On each side is inscribed stories about the deceased in inlay, and the writing ends interestingly enough with the actual date, 1440 (Year of Gyeongsin according to the sexagenary cycle).
The clay was molded into the desired bottle shape on the potter’s wheel, after which the sides were beaten flat to form a square shape, and the edges were further sharpened with a knife. The square surfaces on the front and back and two sides were first decorated with the swastika patterns and then filled with circular stamp designs. The surfaces forming the outline of the bottle and the mouth were decorated with chrysanthemum stamp designs. After the patterns were stamped, the grooves were filled with white clay, which produced a similar effect to inlay and allowed the easy and simple repetition of patterns in an orderly fashion. The early Buncheong ceramics with stamped design had a single large pattern in the early 15th century. It later developed to having smaller patterns covering the whole surface without any blank. That was when the stamped design technique had reached its peak, and this bottle shows the mature technique of the mid-15th century. The shoulder of the bottle is decorated with lotus flowers in inlay, thus showing both inlay and stamped design on one bottle at the same time.
Both the epitaph and the bottle were covered with light green glaze, and under the base remain traces of having been baked on top of sands. The form of the bottle exhibits exceptional beauty in its method of flattening the sides, sharpening the edges and attaching a large mouth to the body. The production date inscribed on these excavated relics allows us to look into the times and estimate the level of sophistication of Buncheong ware.
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| The Large White Porcelain Jar (Baekja-daeho) is also called ‘Moon Jar’ for its round shape reminiscent of a full moon. The balance between height and width creates a serene and simple feeling, while the perfect symmetry and curved silhouette make the shape slightly rhombic, as if it was expanding sideways. Ceramic pieces of such large proportions were usually made by joining two semi-spheres. The color is pale milky-white and the glaze is relatively thick. It is a rare piece, as only a few Moon Jars of this height (44.5cm) remain. |
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