Gilt-bronze Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva (1963)

The Gilt-bronze Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva is a figure of the Bodhisattva Maitreya seated with the left leg lowered, the right hand raised so that two fingers lightly touch the cheek in a pose of contemplation. The long face has upward-slanting eyes and a still, smileless expression. The head is rendered flat, with a tall topknot-shaped hair bun above it. The slender, elongated body is draped only lightly over both shoulders and arms, and the folds of the robe are simple and highly schematic. The double-stringed beaded ornament around the neck looks heavy, descending in front of the chest and crossing in an X shape. The pedestal consists of an octagonal support set on a square base, topped in turn by a lotus-carved seat; it is made larger than the bodhisattva figure itself, giving the whole a settled, stable feel. The square base has two diamond-shaped openings cut into each face, a form rarely seen among Korean gilt-bronze Buddhist images. The carving shows a clear distinction between line and surface and is carefully finished, giving a refined appearance. Although its findspot is not recorded, the double beaded ornament and the form of the lotus with a raised centre suggest that it was made in the late Three Kingdoms period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물