Stone Standing Buddha Triad at Gaetaesa Temple Site, Nonsan

Gaetaesa Temple was built in 936, the nineteenth year of King Taejo of Goryeo, on the site of his final decisive battle against Hubaekje (Later Baekje), to commemorate the victory. This Buddha triad is presumed to have been made at that time. The central principal Buddha has a bare head and a round but flat face, with long, drooping ears. The shoulders and chest are crudely made, and the right hand is raised to the chest while the left rests on the abdomen as if holding something, giving an overly heavy, dull impression. The bodhisattva on the left has had its missing head restored; its carving is more ornate and delicate than that of the principal Buddha, with softer shoulders and chest, and decorative patterns on the bracelets and on the folds of the heavenly robe. The bodhisattva on the right is carved in almost the same manner as the one on the left, with an inverted-trapezoid face and, on the neck, three thick curved lines (samdo), a conventional mark of Buddha and bodhisattva images. The neat yet plump build, the large hands, the voluminous arms, the somewhat thickened robe and the drapery folds incised in lines together illustrate the new stylistic features of the early Goryeo period, a development beyond those of Unified Silla. Made to commemorate the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms, it ranks among the finest local stone Buddha statues of the early Goryeo period, and is highly valued for that reason.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nonsan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물