석가삼존도 조선|釋迦三尊圖 朝鮮|Shakyamuni triad

Executed as a hanging scroll, this Shakyamuni triad is rendered in color and gold on silk, a support and palette characteristic of mid-sixteenth-century Joseon Buddhist painting. The choice of silk allowed for the fine linear definition needed to differentiate the central Buddha from the flanking bodhisattvas, while the application of gold leaf and polychrome pigments produced the luminous surface associated with religious icons of the period. The composition arranges the three sacred figures in a hierarchical triad format, with the Buddha centered and the bodhisattvas positioned as attendant deities. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The 1565 hanging scroll titled Shakyamuni Triad is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. By an anonymous painter, the work is classified as religious art depicting the Buddha and bodhisattvas. The museum's records date the piece to 1565, and it is part of the permanent holdings.

No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available documentation, nor is there any recorded exhibition history for this work within the provided sources.

The hanging scroll known as 석가삼존도, dated 1565 and executed in colour and gold on silk, entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its presence in a major Western museum has made it accessible for the study of Joseon-period Buddhist painting, and its iconography of the Shakyamuni triad, rendered with gold leaf, exemplifies the religious art of mid-sixteenth-century Korea.

This hanging scroll, titled Shakyamuni Triad, was created in Korea in 1565. Executed with color and gold on silk, it depicts a central Buddha figure seated on a lotus throne, flanked by two standing bodhisattvas. The vibrant gold of the figures contrasts with a deep red background, characteristic of sacred Buddhist art from the Joseon dynasty. Its vertical format is typical of scrolls displayed in temple halls.

Created during Korea's Joseon dynasty, this Shakyamuni Triad reflects the enduring tradition of Buddhist painting despite the period's official Confucianism. The artwork subtly embodies the broader phenomenon of Buddhism's transnational journey, where artistic styles and iconographies adapted and integrated local influences across various cultures. This piece serves as an example of such quiet cultural exchange and artistic continuity.