Dry-lacquered Seated Amitabha Buddha of Simhyangsa Temple, Naju

This statue is one of many dry-lacquer Buddha images made in particular at the end of Goryeo and the beginning of Joseon; it was produced using the tarhwal technique, in which a clay or plaster core is built up in dry lacquer and then removed. It has the exotic yet dignified facial expression characteristic of late Goryeo Buddha images, and the fine, fan-shaped folds of drapery cascading over the left shoulder are a feature it shares with the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha of Gaeunsa Temple (1276) and the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha of Bongnimsa Temple, Hwaseong (before 1362), both made in the latter half of the thirteenth century. In the Naju region, dry-lacquer Buddha images from the late Goryeo–early Joseon period also survive at Bulhoesa Temple and Jungnimsa Temple in addition to this one, but this statue has the highest level of artistic accomplishment among them. Moreover, it is significant as one of the earliest known works among surviving dry-lacquer Buddha statues.

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Where it is

Region

Naju, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물