Stone Lantern of Muryangsa Temple, Buyeo

This is an octagonal stone lantern standing in the front courtyard of the main hall of Muryangsa Temple. It is built around a fire chamber that houses the light, with a square base and three tiers of supporting stones below, and a roof stone and finial above. The lower support stone is carved with eight lotus petals; the middle support rises as a tall pillar, above which sits an upper support stone carved with lotus flowers. The fire chamber has eight sides, of which four are wide and four narrow, with windows pierced through the four wide faces. The roof stone, its upward-curving corners and sloping eaves working well together, gives a light, buoyant impression, and a small finial in the shape of a lotus bud rises at its peak. Overall the roof stone feels somewhat large, but its graceful curves prevent any sense of heaviness. The lotus carving on the upper and lower support stones differs from the ornate lotus patterns of the height of the Unified Silla period, and each part shows a degree of formulaic treatment. The lantern is presumed to date from around the tenth century, somewhere between the end of Unified Silla and the beginning of Goryeo.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Buyeo, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물