Northeast Asian History Network

The Fourth Stone Prop of the Southern Wall (Bottom)

This is the mural painted on the bottom of the fourth stone prop of the southern wall. The fourth stone prop is the final triangular stone slab utilized to fill the void in the ceiling.
Lotus & palmettes are depicted in the corner where the legs of the triangle form a right angle. The edges of the three-layered lotus are decorated with palmette leaves. The delicate and elegant coloring techniques are reminiscent of Paintings of Flowers and Birds rendered in ink wash. This pattern began in the Southern Dynasty of China and was eventually introduced to Koguryo under the influence of Buddhism in the Western Regions (generally refers to areas to the west of China).
The illusion of viewing a mystical immortal world when looking up at the ceiling in the burial chamber is striking due to the beautiful lotus flowers depicted on the bottoms of the third and fourth stone props. This pattern began in the Southern Dynasty of China and was eventually introduced to Koguryo under the influence of Buddhism in the Western Regions (generally refers to areas to the west of China).