Stone Seated Buddha at Yongseondae Cliff of Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong

This seated stone Buddha stands on a high rock at the top of a mountain at Yongseondae, near Gwallyongsa Temple; its halo, the aureole that once stood behind the head, has been lost. The head is covered with small snail-shell-shaped curls, and a large knot-of-hair protuberance (usnisha) rises prominently near the crown. The face has a full, dignified expression, and its smiling countenance conveys a compassionate Buddha-mind. The robe wrapping both shoulders clings closely to the body, and its folds are rendered as regular parallel lines, giving a somewhat schematic appearance. Overall the body shows reduced volume and appears slightly contracted, though the figure retains a stable posture. The hands resting on the knees are thick yet finely carved, and the seated pose conveys a certain heaviness. The pedestal on which the Buddha sits consists of upper, middle and lower tiers. The hemispherical upper stone is carved with lotus flowers, the octagonal middle stone has pillar shapes set at each corner, and the lower stone is carved with a double band of lotus-petal patterns above a square base. Judging from the reduced volume of the body, the schematic folds of the robe, and the form of the octagonal lotus-patterned pedestal, the work is presumed to date from the late Unified Silla period, around the ninth century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물