Amitabha Buddha and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas

KOREA; Goryeo dynasty

Paintings of Amitabha Buddha with the Eight Great Bodhisattvas are common among Buddhist paintings of the Goryeo dynasty, and are typically based on descriptions found in the Sutra on the Mandala of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas. The colors, the way the lines are drawn, and the images in this artwork suggest that it was painted between the late Goryeo (918–1392) and the early Joseon (1392–1910) dynasties.
Amitabha Buddha stands on two lotuses in a lotus pond, with the hands displaying a mudra. The Eight Great Bodhisattvas, namely Avalokitesvara, Akasagarbha, Vajrapani, Samantabhadra, Manjusri, Sarvanivarana Viskambhin, Maitreya, and Ksitigarbha, are depicted standing beside Amitabha holding Dharma objects. The clouds and bejeweled trees in the background are meant to represent the Western Pure Land. The pond at the bottom is filled with rising lotuses, unopened buds, and leaves.