Standing Seok Bodhisattva of Sangbuam Hermitage

This standing stone Bodhisattva is enshrined at Sangbuam Hermitage in Gwangjang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. The entire statue was originally covered with a thick coat of hobun, a white pigment made from oyster-shell powder, but its original appearance was revealed only after this coating recently peeled away. Overall it is a standing stone Bodhisattva with a large head and a slender body; the head is notably tall and large in proportion to the body, and the ushnisha, the topknot-shaped protrusion marking enlightenment, is unusually large. Although the front of the head and the ushnisha are somewhat damaged, the hair can be seen to be rendered as sobal, plain and unadorned. The face is broad, close to square in shape, but has a soft, supple volume, and the eyes, nose and mouth are elegant and smiling, giving a gentle, harmonious impression. The ears are of moderate length, but a single strand of hair falls from the front and crosses the centre of the ear to form the upper edge of the earlobe, an unusual feature. The neck, which had been severed, has been reattached; the upper body is short but elegant, with a slender waist, and the lower body clearly shows both legs, giving a very pronounced sense of volume. The right hand is raised to the chest, clenched as if holding a flower branch, while the left hand is lowered, grasping the hem of the robe. The thin monastic robe, covering both shoulders in the tonggyeon style, wraps around the arms in stepped folds, forming a U-shape at the chest before descending between the legs to form another U-shape, the so-called Udayana-king style of drapery. This style of drapery, together with the short upper body, slender waist and pronounced volume of the two legs, reflects the adoption of the style of eighth-century Unified Silla gilt-bronze standing Buddhas, while the form of the arms and the stepped folds also show continuity with ninth-century statues, suggesting that this Bodhisattva was made in the late ninth to early tenth century. The pedestal takes the form of an upward-facing lotus on a round lotus-patterned base; the lower section beneath the lotus seat is square and carved with a large downward-facing lotus, whose form is judged to resemble ninth-century lotus patterns. Although the statue is partially damaged and cannot be considered in perfect condition, it is an important example preserving the stylistic features of a Late Silla–Early Goryeo transition-period Buddhist statue, a type rarely found in the Seoul region. Note on the change of name of the Standing Seok Bodhisattva of Sangbuam Hermitage. Date of change: 7 May 2020. Reason for change: although designated as a standing Buddha, the statue is now considered to be a Bodhisattva, based on features such as the topknot of bound-up hair shown above the head and the hair crossing over the ear. It is characterised by wearing a kasaya, the robe of a Buddha, rather than the celestial garment typical of a Bodhisattva; the thin kasaya, covering both shoulders, clearly reveals the contours of the body, forming a U-shape from the chest to the waist and a Y-shape below the waist, a feature also found in standing Bodhisattva statues of the early Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwangjin-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산