Beopjusa Temple Sujeongam Hermitage Seated Stone Buddha

This seated stone Buddha was restored by Dongguk University from broken fragments scattered around the site of Sujeongam Hermitage, on a hill behind Beopjusa Temple in Chungcheongbuk-do. At the time of its removal only part of the halo remained, more than half of the pedestal was missing, and the image itself was broken in many places; it has now been restored to an almost complete form for both the image and the pedestal, and it shows well the style of stone Buddhas of the Unified Silla period (ninth century). The body has a somewhat large upper torso relative to its overall size, but the broad knees and wide shoulders give it a sense of stability. The face is full and round, with a rounded chin conveying a sense of volume; the hair is rendered in thick spiral curls, above which a low usnisa, the cranial protuberance, rises. A baekho, a tuft of white hair, is set in the centre of the forehead, and the eyes are half-closed as if in meditation. The eyebrows form a gentle arc and the connected nose is broad at the bridge, though extensive repair means its original form cannot be known. The mouth is small and firmly closed; overall the facial features are gentle and mild. The neck, which had come apart, has been reattached. The body has narrow, stiff shoulders and gives a somewhat constricted impression. The hand gesture is the classic bhumisparsa mudra, the earth-touching gesture: the right hand rests on the right knee with the fingers pointing down, while the left hand lies near the abdomen with the fingers together and the palm turned upward. The robe is worn in the tongyeon style, covering both shoulders, with an undergarment beneath. The folds run diagonally from the arms toward the torso, and between the two legs they form a broad U-shape as they fall. The folds draped over the arms, those falling over the knees, and those carved across the entire back of the statue are all rendered at regular intervals, as if rippling like waves. Such drapery is commonly seen in Buddhist images of the late Unified Silla period, around the ninth century, and helps date this statue's production. The pedestal follows the typical octagonal form of the Unified Silla period, with octagonal upper, middle and lower sections set on a broad base stone. On the base stone sits an octagonal support for the lower pedestal stone, above which rests a three-tiered lower pedestal stone. The lowest tier is too worn to make out clearly, but crouching lions appear to be carved within arch-shaped niches; above this sits a stone carved with an eight-petalled inverted lotus, with large corner ornaments rising from the corners of the petals. Above the inverted-lotus stone, an octagonal support again holds up the middle pedestal stone, which is likewise octagonal and, although heavily worn, shows shallow carvings of buddhas and bodhisattvas within arch-shaped niches. The upper pedestal stone is decorated with a double, fully open upturned lotus, with subsidiary petals depicted between the main petals and further floral decoration within the petals themselves, giving it a very ornate appearance. Traces of a carved halo remain on the back of the statue, but it is so badly damaged that its original form is difficult to determine; however, judging from the beautifully carved lotus and foliage scroll pattern around a central circular motif, it is thought to be part of a head halo. This is a seated stone Buddha of the late Unified Silla period, with both the image and the pedestal relatively well preserved. Overall it shows characteristic features of Buddhist images of around the ninth century, the late Unified Silla period - a face large relative to the body, reduced volume, formalised details, and wave-like drapery folds. Although much of the statue has been restored and has lost some of its original form, it retains the image, pedestal and halo together, providing important material for understanding the characteristics of Unified Silla Buddhist sculpture.

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Where it is

Region

Jung-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산