Stone Seated Buddha of Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong

This Buddhist statue is enshrined in the Yaksajeon Hall of Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong, one of the eight great temples of the Silla period. In style it appears to have been modelled on the Unified Silla-period Stone Seated Buddha at Yongseondae, Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong, which stands in the valley to the west of the temple. On the head is a large topknot-shaped protrusion (ushnisha), and above the forehead a crescent-moon shape is depicted, showing that it follows the head style of Goryeo-period Buddhist statues. The ears hang long down to the shoulders, and the three folds that should appear on the neck are instead shown on the upper chest. The robe is draped over both shoulders, its folds rendered formulaically with shallow lines, and beneath the outer robe two folded hems of an inner garment are likewise shown schematically. The hands are held in a distinctive gesture, the right hand resting on the left foot and the left hand on the right foot, and a medicine bowl appears to have once rested on the left hand. The pedestal on which the statue sits has upper, middle and lower tiers, the upper tier being unusual in depicting lotus flowers in a continuous tortoise-shell pattern. The crescent-moon shape on the head and the formalised detailing suggest that this statue was made by a local craftsman of the Goryeo period in imitation of the Stone Seated Buddha at Yongseondae.

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Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물