Seated Musong-ri Stone Buddha

This is a Buddha image carved in shallow relief on a single large mandorla; apart from a slight crack on the left side of the body halo, it is generally in good condition. The stone slab on which it is carved is a flat stone about 20 cm thick, with a Buddha carved in shallow relief on the front and a second Buddha incised in line drawing on the back. On the front, a double halo — a head halo and a body halo — is carved in shallow relief along the inner edge of a full-body aureole, with a single seated Buddha carved within it. The area around the head is cut back slightly so that the face stands out in relief; a large topknot-shaped usnisha, the cranial protuberance symbolising enlightenment, is shown on the crown, and traces remain of nabal, the snail-shell curls of hair, though these are almost entirely worn away. The face is somewhat oval; the eyes are too worn to make out precisely, but the downcast eyes, neat nose and firmly closed mouth are rendered in good balance. The neck bears three fine lines, the samdo marking the Buddha's virtues, and the ears are rendered very small. On the back of the mandorla, a seated stone Buddha is incised in fine line carving, with a halo rendered in shallow relief along the edge of the full-body aureole and the Buddha carved within it. The face is too worn to make out, but the usnisha is large and clearly rendered; the lower part of the body is also buried and not clearly visible. The right hand is raised and drawn in toward the chest, and the flowing folds of the robe worn over the left shoulder only are densely incised in fine line carving. The lower part is damaged, so it cannot be confirmed precisely, but the figure is presumed to have been seated. In the Seated Musong-ri Stone Buddha, the face is carved slightly in relief while the body is carved with almost no modulation, a technique frequently favoured in Goryeo-period Buddhist statues and rock-carved Buddhas. The round, well-balanced features and full-volumed face, giving an expression of serene composure, show the characteristics of Buddhist images from the late Unified Silla to early Goryeo period, as seen in the Seated Rock-carved Buddha of Singye-ri, Namwon (treasure); yet the overly heavy rendering of the right arm raised to shoulder height, the lower body rendered disproportionately small compared with the upper body, and the almost flat, shallow relief of the body as a whole show the characteristics of Buddhist images from the middle to late Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gochang, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산