Seated Iron Buddha

This statue is an iron Buddha 118 cm in total height, representative of the tall-bodied type of iron Buddha from the early Goryeo period. With its imposing, broad shoulders and, in proportion to the body, high and wide knees, it presents a stable, settled appearance. The face carries a quiet, serene expression. The head is covered with tightly packed snail-shell curls and an indistinct usnisha; the body shows narrow, elongated eyes, a short, straight nose and a small mouth. In the rendering of the robe, worn covering the right shoulder, the collar is folded three times in large, triangular pleats side by side over the shoulder; there is an oval fold on the inner side of the left wrist; the sash binding the inner skirt beneath the outer robe is tied in a twisted knot; and there are vertical folds at the knees, with the hem spreading out in a fan shape in front of them. These features all reveal the characteristics of early Goryeo Buddhist statues, and are similar to other iron Buddhas presumed to date from the early Goryeo period and produced in the central region at the turn from Silla to Goryeo, especially around the tenth century, such as the Seated Iron Buddha traditionally attributed to the Jeokjosa temple site, the Seated Iron Buddha excavated at Pocheon, the Gwangju Iron Buddha, and the Samhwasa Temple Iron Buddha. The neck bears the three folds symbolising the Buddha's transcendence of worldly desire, and the hands are held in the earth-touching gesture, though two fingers of the left hand and three of the right hand are now missing. Apart from some damaged curls of hair on the head and the missing fingers, the statue is otherwise well preserved. As an early Goryeo iron Buddha rarely found in the Seoul area, it is important material for understanding the formal characteristics of Goryeo-period iron Buddha statues and how they changed over time.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산