Seated Anseong Unsuam Hermitage Stone Vairocana Buddha

This is a stone Buddha statue, 109cm in height, enshrined in the Birojeon Hall of Unsuam Hermitage in Anseong. The visible portion shows an octagonal lotus pedestal. The figure sits cross-legged, occupying a relatively broad area of the pedestal in a stable posture; the rounded, dignified shoulders, the smooth, rounded body contour, the sense of volume retained throughout the body, and the band-like drapery folds forming slight steps all reveal the sculptural style of the late Unified Silla period. The head has spiral curls with a topknot above. The round, full face is slightly fleshy, and the eyes, nose and mouth, of moderate size, are neatly arranged along with the tuft of hair (urna) on the forehead. The robe draped over both shoulders covers the whole front of the body from the arms down to the knees. The left index finger is raised and grasped together with the right thumb in the right hand, forming the wisdom-fist mudra, identifying the statue as Vairocana Buddha. While the work follows the style of late Unified Silla Buddhist sculpture and is well balanced overall, the head is large relative to the body, the drapery folds are somewhat schematised, and the carving technique suggests it was made in the period spanning the end of Unified Silla and the beginning of Goryeo. Whereas the Vairocana Buddha statues popular in Unified Silla from the 9th century onward were mostly cast in iron, this example was carved in stone, showing a different formal lineage from the iron Vairocana Buddha statues; this gives it considerable significance as material for art-historical study.

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Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산