Gilt-bronze Standing Buddha with Inscription of "the Seventh Yeonga Year"

A Buddha inscribed with a reference to Goguryeo, notable for having been found at Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang, in former Silla territory. According to the inscription on the back of its mandorla, it is the twenty-ninth of a thousand Buddhas that the monks of the Eastern Temple in Pyeongyang made to spread through the world. It is 16.2 cm high overall. Small snail-shell curls are applied to the head, rare among Three Kingdoms period Buddhas, and a large topknot rises at the crown. The face is fairly small, lean and long, with a smile. The right hand is raised forward, palm outward; the left is lowered at the waist, palm outward. The bent third and fourth fingers of the left hand are characteristic of Three Kingdoms Buddhas. The body, wrapped in an unusually thick robe, shows no contours, but the build and the slight suggestion of shoulder bone convey strength. The hems of the robe spread vigorously to either side like the feathers of a bird's wing, their sharp, forceful look in the manner of Northern Wei China onward. The mandorla, cast with the image, is incised on the front with flame that seems to whirl roughly. Part of the mandorla is damaged, but it is a rare image with its gilding still complete. The inscription on the back and its forceful manner mark it as a representative Goguryeo Buddha of the later sixth century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Treasure · 국보