Mok Amitabha Buddha Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva Statue of Doseonsa Temple

These two statues were made in October 1740 at Wontongam Hermitage on Dobongsan Mountain and were enshrined at Jingwanam Hermitage; they are now housed together at Doseonsa Temple. According to a votive text found inside the statues, an Amitabha triad had originally existed before these statues were made, but for some reason the Amitabha and Mahasthamaprapta figures were damaged, leaving only the Avalokitesvara. In 1740 the sculptors Inseong, Chijun, Jihan, Sam-an and Chungsin carved new Amitabha and Mahasthamaprapta statues, and when the gilding later wore off, the statues were regilded in 1856. Apart from some flaking of the gilding at the knees, the two statues are today in generally good condition. The Amitabha statue sits in the full lotus position with its head bowed forward; the pedestal and halo are now lost, and only the body of the statue remains. The head is round and densely covered with tight curls; without a clear division from the usnisha, a low, semicircular medial finial and a large, topknot-shaped crowning jewel sit prominently on the round head. The face is broad and almost square, with narrow eyes, a large, wide nose and a neat mouth, giving a composed appearance. The body, like the face, is square in form, with a short neck and angular shoulders that give it a somewhat hunched look. The robe covers both shoulders, worn over an undergarment with a wide opening across the chest and a horizontal line running across it; the right hem is tucked inside the hem falling from the left, a manner of dress typical of the late Joseon period. The two hands were carved separately and fitted on: the right hand is raised near the shoulder with the thumb and middle finger touching, and the left rests on the knee in the same gesture, forming Amitabha's mudra for the middle grade of the lower class of rebirth. The knees are somewhat low in both width and height, but rounded, with the drapery folds between them smoothly rendered; in particular, a 'u'-shaped fold is carved over the left knee, a feature characteristic of late Joseon Buddhist statues. The Mahasthamaprapta statue is a wooden figure wearing a large crown, seated in the full lotus position. Like the main icon, it bows its head forward, and its short neck gives it a similarly hunched appearance. The metal crown has flame-shaped jewels set around its rim and cloud patterns and jewels arranged within; the edges of the patterns are decorated with a repousse beaded design, giving it a very ornate look. Ribbon-like crown straps flutter on either side, though they curve rather sharply. Its facial and bodily features are almost identical to those of the Amitabha statue: a body that is square yet somewhat rounded, flat facial features, and the same manner of dress with a wide horizontal opening across the chest. These two statues were carved in 1740 by Inseong, Chijun and other leading sculptors of their day, and rank among the finest Buddhist and bodhisattva statues of the late Joseon period. Because a votive text survives, the dates of their making and regilding are certain, and since Inseong and Chijun, who worked on these statues, also carved the Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha (1748) at Baekdamsa Temple in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, itself designated a treasure, they provide valuable material for tracing the regional activity of sculptors of the period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangbuk-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산