Seated Stone Vairocana Buddha in Maae-dong

Seated on an octagonal, lotus-patterned pedestal, this statue depicts Vairocana Buddha, whose name signifies the Buddha who presides over the entire realm of truth; having been left neglected for a long time, its face is severely worn. On the head a low, topknot-shaped bun of hair rises up, and the oval face has well-ordered, regular features. The body is neat and well balanced; the two hands, gathered at the chest with the right hand wrapped around the left forefinger, are somewhat small yet harmonise well with the tidy body. The robe covering both shoulders clings closely, so that the contours of the body show through clearly; a knotted sash is carved at the waist, and parallel folds run across both arms. The octagonal pedestal is made up of upper, middle and lower tiers together with a base stone: the upper tier is carved with lotus petals, each face of the middle tier bears a bodhisattva figure, and the lower tier is carved with lotus petals facing downward. On each face of the base stone, blind-arch niches (an-sang) and animal figures are carved in relief. This statue displays the stylistic features of the stone Vairocana Buddha images that were popular in the late Unified Silla period, and is presumed to have been made around the ninth century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Andong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산