Stone Seated Buddha of Yonghwasa Temple, Yangsan

Originally located at a temple site in Gamno-ri, Sangdong-myeon, Gimhae, the statue was moved to a nearby riverside at the end of the Joseon period, and was moved again to its present location in February 1947 when the main hall was rebuilt. It is a complete Buddha image, with both a pedestal and a mandorla. The imposing shoulders and the volume given to the chest, arms and legs show a certain degree of three-dimensionality, but details such as the hands and neck reveal a more formalised treatment. The face is square, and the protruding forehead gives it strength, while the narrowly opened eyes and small nose and mouth show features characteristic of the late Unified Silla period. The robe, which covers only the left shoulder, clings closely to the body, and its folds are also simplified. The mandorla, representing the light radiating from the Buddha's body, is carved with flame, lotus and cloud designs, and at its top a small Buddha figure and an apsaras, a flying celestial being, are carved. The carving of an apsaras on a mandorla is a very rare example, matching the form of the mandorla on the Rock-carved Seated Buddha of Bungmireugam Hermitage at Daeheungsa Temple in Haenam, a national treasure. The octagonal pedestal on which the Buddha sits is carved with lotus designs and flying bodhisattva figures. While retaining the Buddha-image style of the mid-Unified Silla period, the work appears to date from the late Unified Silla period, when idealised qualities faded from the details and formalisation increasingly took hold.

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Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물