Amit'a Triad

About this Brooklyn Icon

The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

This 14th-century painting dates to the Goryeo period, a golden age for royal patronage of Buddhism in Korea. Few Goryeo paintings survive; they are so rare that art historians are still piecing together an understanding of when, how, and for whom these works were made. This one arrived at the Brooklyn Museum as a loan in the 1930s and was misidentified as Japanese, in part because it has a Japanese-style brocade mount. Later, the attribution was changed to Chinese; in the 1970s, the painting was finally recognized as Korean.

The image depicts the Buddha Amita descending from his heavenly realm, accompanied by the bodhisattvas Gwaneum and Seishi. Whereas most Buddhist imagery shows enlightened figures straight on, in this unusual painting all three figures are at least partially turned to the side. This pose suggests that they are in motion, coming to collect the soul of a faithful follower. The figures have lost most of their green and blue pigments, but the red of their robes remains, decorated with delicate patterns in gold. These details hint at how sumptuous the painting must have been, designed to catch the light of lamps and candles inside a dimly lit temple.