Research Article
Painting of the Buddhas of the Three Ages at Taedunsa Temple, Haenam, Commissioned by Consort Sunbi Ŏm: A Collaborative Work by Itinerant Monk-painters
국립고궁박물관
Published: December 2025 · No. 328 · pp. 97-121
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31065/kjah.328.202512.004
Abstract
This paper demonstrates that the Painting of the Buddhas of the Three Ages (Samsebul-t'aeng), produced in 1901 for Taedunsa Temple in Haenam, is a collaborative work by monk-painters whose participation was orchestrated through the patronage of Consort Sunbi Ŏm (1854 m1911). Although the work appears visually unified, it is in fact composed of three separate hanging scrolls, each executed by a different workshop led respectively by Kyŏngsŏn Ŭngsŏk (active mid-19th to early 20th century), Sŏgong Ch'ŏryu (1851–1917), and Yeun Sanggyu (active late 19th to 20th century). The tripartite format was necessitated by the scale of the rear altar wall of the temple’s Taeungbojŏn Hall, and its realization required close coordination among the participating monk-painters.
