Gilt-bronze Standing Buddha (1963)

This gilt-bronze standing Buddha is a bronze image with a gilded surface, measuring 38.2 cm in height, and is held in the National Museum of Korea. Small snail-shell-shaped curls of hair cover the head, and near the crown rises a topknot-shaped protuberance (a mark of the Buddha's supreme wisdom). The face is full and serene, with closed eyes and pursed lips that seem to form a gentle smile, moving all who look upon it. This artless smiling face reflects the characteristics of Buddhist sculpture of the Three Kingdoms period, lending the image a distinguished quality. The body, standing with the lower abdomen slightly protruding, takes a soft and unconstrained pose. The drapery folds, too, depart from strict left-right symmetry: they appear orderly, yet the robe over the right shoulder is rendered naturally, as if about to slip down. The overlapping drapery folds derive from the sculptural style of China's Northern Wei dynasty, and the lower hem of the robe, drawn up above the ankles, is rendered like the pleats of a skirt; together with the treatment of the face, these are new features that emerged through the influence of the transitional Northern Wei style. The pedestal is octagonal at its base, with an identical pattern openwork-carved on each face. The treatment of the face and drapery, together with the vivid, unconstrained pose, indicate that this Buddha image was made during the Unified Silla period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물