Standing Jeonghyesa Temple Stone Bodhisattva

This statue is enshrined on the raised ground to the left of Daeungjeon Hall at Jeonghyesa Temple, with a huge stone pedestal placed separately to its left. Made of granite, the statue had broken into four pieces, and the neck and mid-body sections are now joined with cement. The statue stands 262 cm tall with a shoulder width of 74 cm, and including the pedestal (53 cm high) the total height exceeds 3 m. The face is worn away near the ears and the nose has broken off; the head wears a tall crown. The crown is a simple cylindrical form, similar to those of the seated stone Buddha at Sinboksa Temple Site (treasure), the seated stone bodhisattva at Hansongsa Temple (national treasure) and the seated stone bodhisattva at Woljeongsa Temple (treasure), all made in the early Goryeo period. The face is somewhat long and flat with little sense of volume, but the narrow, elongated eyes and full lips give it a youthful expression. The body shows little modulation and feels block-like, yet closely set lines describe the drapery over its entire surface. The right hand is raised with the palm facing forward at the chest, the upper part of the index finger bulging outward as though grasping something; the left hand rests near the abdomen, with the third and fourth fingers bent. Beneath the drapery hanging over both shoulders, an inner garment is worn diagonally across the upper body, and below it a skirt is worn, tied with a sash. The drapery folds run horizontally down to around the knees, then form narrow, closely set vertical folds below the knees. The pedestal placed beside the statue is a huge oval stone measuring 167 cm across, 142 cm front to back and 53 cm high, carved from a single block to show the base stone together with the upper, middle and lower tiers. With its tall cylindrical crown, simplified block-like body and shallow, incised parallel drapery folds, this statue well displays the features of standing bodhisattva images popular in the first half of the Goryeo period. Although it has little volume overall, its partly realistic touches give it a lively quality, making it a work that clearly shows the localised character of Goryeo-period stone Buddhist sculpture.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jeongeup, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산