Seated Gwangju Yujeong-ri Stone Buddha

This statue was not originally made in this village, and it is not known where it was brought from. It was originally a granite stone Buddha, but repeated repairs have left the original form of the face and body difficult to recognise. The head is large in proportion to the body and the shoulders are narrow; the arms are simplified and held close to the body, and the hands are relatively small. The simplified treatment of the drapery folds and similar features suggest the work of a local craftsman whose technique was not especially refined. No halo, the form given to the sacred light emanating from the Buddha's body, survives, and a modest usnisha, a topknot-shaped tuft of hair, rises on the head. A round jewelled ornament sits at the top of the usnisha, and a half-moon-shaped ornament sits partway down the head. The face is long and rectangular, with a broad, large forehead. The relatively small eyes are shown horizontally, and the triangular nose is rather thick. The philtrum is raised, and the mouth is also rather large. The ears are long enough to reach the shoulders. The neck bears the three lines of folds symbolising the Buddha's wisdom. The robe, draped over both shoulders, falls in thick, gentle semicircular folds from the chest to the abdomen. Both hands are gathered at the abdomen, the right hand resting on the palm of the left with the thumbs touching, forming the meditation mudra that symbolises the Buddha's serene state of contemplation. The unbalanced bodily proportions and the schematic, simplified drapery reveal a rough and unrefined technique; on the strength of these features the statue has sometimes been regarded as a Buddha image of the late Joseon period, but its date of production is difficult to pin down precisely.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산