지금까지 알려진 발원문과 사적기를 보면, 영색은 임진왜란 이전에 태어나 1610년을 전후로 불상 제작 수련기를 보냈던 것으로 추정된다. 1620년대에는 충북 보은 법주사, 경기 양주 회암사, 전남 구례 화엄사, 경남 하동 쌍계사, 경북 상주 남장사 등의 사찰에서 활동하였는데, 영색이 수화승으로 제작한 보살상의 특징은 17세기 전반에 주로 제작된 보살입상으로, 이전에 제작된 보살상에 비하여 머리가 커서 신체에서 얼굴이 차지하는 비중이 크고, 오른쪽 어깨에 걸친 한 가닥의 대의 자락이 가슴까지 늘어져 있으며, 왼쪽 어깨를 따라 끝이 꽃모양으로 둥근 한 가닥의 두꺼운 옷 주름이 길게 접혀 있다. 또한 하반신에 입은 치마의 주름이 무릎 부분에서 U자형으로 도식화 되어 있다. 조각승 영색은 수화승 청헌과 불상 제작에 주로 참여하여 그와 같은 계보에 속하는 것으로 추정되고, 활동 시기가 거의 비슷하여 사제지간보다 선후배 사이로 보인다. 따라서 지금까지 밝혀진 영색의 조각승 계보는 청헌(淸憲, 1626-1643), 영색(英?, 1626-1645)→성근(誠勤, 1633-1657), 영축(靈竺, 1633-1641)으로 이어졌을 가능성이 높다.
이번 연구를 통하여 조각승 영색과 그 계보의 조각승들이 17세기 전반의 불교조각사에서 큰 비중을 차지하는 사실을 확인할 수 있었다. 그리고 목조보살입상은 조선 전기에 주로 제작되었고, 전쟁 기간에 파괴된 사찰이 주로 복구되는 1600년부터 1640년대까지 주로 만들어졌다.This is a study about monk sculptor Yeongsaek, who made the wood standing Bodhisattva in Daeungjeon hall at Bokwangsa temple, Paju, Gyeonggi-do. I had a chance to research this standing Bodhisattva’s material characters. During analyzing tree rings’ of this Bodhisattva, the votive inscription was found inside the sculpture and this document provided rich information about stylistic features of late Joseon dynasty’s standing wood Bodhisattva sculptures.
According to the votive inscription, this wood standing Bodhisattva, dated 1633, was rendered at Hoeamsa, Yangju, Gyeonggi-do. Participated monk sculptors are Yeongsaek, Seong geun, Jiwon, Okjun, Youngchuk. There are other votive inscriptions, which can trace Yeongsaek’s activities between 1620s and 1640s. In the earliest record, Yeongsaek partook Beopjusa’s Three Seated Buddha rendering project in 1626. To achieve this project, seventeen monk sculptors were participated in and Yeongsaek’s rank was the seventh among them. In 1633 as a main sculptors, he made wood standing Bodhisattva in Bokwangsa temple, and in 1636 he worked with another monk sculptor Cheongheon to make Three Seated Bodies of the Ultimate Buddha at Hwaemosa temple, Gurye, Jeollanam-do. Yeongsaek was involved in Chengheon’s another Buddha rendering project, making wooden seated Buddha of the Three Realms and four attendants Bodhisattvas, at Ssangyesa temple, Ha-dong, Gyeongsangnam-do in 1639. In 1645 Yeongsaek was engaged in monk sculptor Cheongheo’s project at Namjangsa temple, Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk do. As a result, Yeongsaek participated all over country’s Buddha making projects. If I reconstruct monk sculptor’s life, based on votive inscriptions and historical records of an individual temple, he might have been born before Imjin Waeran (壬辰倭亂) and had been finished his apprentice around 1620s. During 1630s his expertness might reach the zenith, so he partook various Buddha making projects all over the country such as Hwaemosa temple, Hwaemosa temple, Ssangyesa temple, Namjangsa temple. Especially his standing wood Bodhisattva, dated in 1633 at Boguangsa temple, which was originally rendered in Hoeamsa temple, well represents the early half 17th century’s standing Bodhisattva stylistic features. Compared with previous period’s standing Bodhisattva sculptures, the potion of head becomes larger than earlier century’s ones. Secondly, the way to make folded draperies of Bodhisattva garment became more simplified. Without rendering detailed pleats, one trail of garment, located in right shoulder, is elongated Bodhisattva’s chest, and another trail of garment in left shoulder is folded like upside-down tulip’s shape. The garment’s pleats of lower half of Bodhisattva’s body’ were also simply created. Youngseak only carved “U” shape patterns on the lower half of Bodhisattva’s body.
Yeongsaek mainly worked with Chengheon’s Buddha making projects, so they might have a close relationship. Their active periods are also similar. It might be assumed that Chengheon and Yongsaek maintained senior and junior relationship in a certain monk sculptor school. As a result, this recently found votive inscription helps to fill the blank of Chengheon monk sculptor school’s members. This school members might be consisted of Chengheon (1626-1643), Yongseak (1626-1645), Shenggeon (1633-1657), and Youngchuk (1633-1641).
The main approach to this study was for analyzing monk sculptor Yongseak’s statue in art history of the early half 17th Buddhist sculpture. As one of the main members’ of Chengheon’s school, Yongseak played a critical role for shaping standing wood Bodhisattva style. In addition, we could figure out that standing wood bodhisattvas were mainly created between 1600 and 1640, and after that period, standing wood bodhisattvas were rarely rendered.