illuminated manuscripts in which the title, the ex-
quisite miniature paintings of the dazzling fron-
tispiece, and the text were decorated and written in
gold or silver on dark indigo-dyed paper made from
the inner bark of the mulberry. During the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries, Koryo ̆became the center of
illuminated manuscript production in East Asia.
In the Koryo ̆period, when Buddhism prospered
under royal and aristocratic patronage, Pure Land
Buddhist paintings of Amitabha, Water Moon
Avalokites ́vara, and Ksitigarbha flourished. These
paintings were rendered on hanging silk scrolls in var-
ious sizes, depending on their use; smaller scrolls were
for private altars, and larger ones for temples. The im-
ages are outlined in red or black ink and painted with
mineral colors, including cinnabar red, malachite
green, and lead white. These principal colors, finely
ground and prepared with a binder, were first applied
on the back of the silk, then on the front, in order to
ensure the durability of the colors and to intensify the
hue. Gold for exposed parts of the Buddha’s body and
decorative motifs were applied on top of this. Facial
details were drawn and the image would be completed
during an eye-dotting ceremony. In the Choso ̆n dy-
nasty Buddhist paintings of large figural groups were
often executed on hemp. Mineral pigments on such
paintings were applied only to the front surface. As a
consequence, some colors, especially red and green,
have been lost from paintings dating from the six-
teenth and seventeenth centuries. A new type of paint-
ing, in which Buddhist images were mixed with native
Korean spirits and deities, began to emerge in the sec-
ond half of the Choso ̆n dynasty.See also:Chan Art; China, Buddhist Art in; Huayan
Art; Monastic Architecture; Portraiture; Pure Land
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Amitabha Buddha. (Korean, Koryo ̆, gold, colors on silk, 1306.)
Nezu Institute of Fine Arts. Reproduced by permission.