Gilt-bronze Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva (1962-2)

With the other gilt-bronze pensive Maitreya bodhisattva at the National Museum of Korea, the largest gilt-bronze pensive image in the country, 93.5 cm high. It is said to have been found in Gyeongju in the 1920s, though there is no evidence for it, and because it wears a crown of three rounded peaks it is also called the three-mountain pensive image. The face is full, almost round, and the smile comes from the eyelids and the corners of the mouth. The upper body is bare, with nothing but a double necklace at the throat. The left foot is lowered onto a small lotus pedestal and the right rests on the left knee; the left hand holds the right ankle, and the right elbow rests on the knee with the fingers lightly propping the chin. The skirt over the lower body is rendered very thin, so the contours of the body show through, and its hem over the lotus seat is carved deep and natural. A sash strung with jade falls to the left, and a long tang at the back of the head shows that a mandorla was once fitted. The simple, balanced body, the natural and fully modelled folds, and the crisply cut features show complete mastery of casting. The compassion felt in its quiet smile adds a sublimity to it as a religious sculpture. It is thought to be later than the other great pensive Maitreya, made in the late Three Kingdoms period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보