나말여초 건칠불상의 제작기법과 시원 연구

Abstract

Some 20 Korean dry lacquer Buddhist statues, characterized by the material used to make them, are extant today, dating from a period from the Silla-Goryeo transition into the Goryeo and then Joseon periods. Korea’s oldest dry lacquer Buddhist statues are the seated Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) at Cheongnyangsa Temple and the statue of Master Huirang at Haeinsa Temple, both of which date from the period around the Silla-Goryeo transition.BR The origins of Korean dry lacquer Buddhist statues are thought to lie in Chinese counterparts estimated to date from the sixth to seventh century. Typical examples include seated Buddha statues in the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Washington D. C.’s Freer Gallery of Art, and the Walters Art Museum. These three statues are thought to have been produced from the Sui to the Tang dynasty, a time when dry lacquer techniques reached a peak of excellence.BR This study investigates the current circumstances of Korea’s earliest extant dry lacquer Buddhist statues, analyzing them in comparison with their Chinese counterparts in order to determine their origins. Early Korean dry lacquer Buddhist statues are compared to early Chinese dry lacquer Buddhist statues in terms of form, materials and production technique. Similarities include hemp cloth and lacquer as basic materials, the flat interiors of the statues, hollow interiors without inner wooden frames to support their forms, the way the backs of statue heads were cut in order to extract the clay inside, the way wooden struts are placed at weak points inside them, and the thread count of the hemp fabric used. The statues also show similarities in the use of lacquer additives such as roast bone and starch (such as glutinous rice) in order to increase adhesive strength and thickness. In addition, they share the same inlaid lead glass eyes, stuck in place with hemp fabric and lacquer.BR It has so far been presumed that Korean dry lacquer Buddhist statues were first produced around the mid-Goryeo period, under the influence of Song China. But given the similarities between the seated Bhaisajyaguru at Cheongnyangsa and early Sui and Tang Buddhist statues, and its stylistic similarity to the Buddha statue at Seokguram Grotto, it is possible to project the history of Korean dry lacquer Buddhist statues back to the Silla-Goryeo transition period. There has so far been little scientific analysis or revelation of details of the interior state of Chinese dry lacquer Buddhist statues, but I believe future studies of such aspects would be highly helpful to research regarding early Korean statues of this kind.