Seated Stone Avalokitesvara Ui of Bohyeonam Hermitage, Eumseong

The stone seated image of Avalokitesvara is enshrined at Bohyeonam Hermitage, built on the site of an old temple called Tapgolsaji in Mugeuk-ri, Geumwang-eup. It is presumed to have been made around the late Goryeo to early Joseon period. It was carved from a single piece of granite, shaped into a boat-shaped stele, with the Buddha image and its mandorla finely carved in relief. It appears to be roughly life-sized, and is in good condition. The face is close to rectangular in shape. The head wears a crown in the form of three mountain peaks, beneath which the hair is arranged in the plain, uncurled sobal style. The eyes are rendered with incised lines, giving the impression that they are closed. On the neck are traces of the samdo, the three folds traditionally shown on the necks of Buddhist images; the robe is draped in the ugyeonpyeondan style, over the right shoulder only, its folds rendered as five raised lines. The mudra shows the right hand held palm outward while the left hand rests on the abdomen, holding a medicine box. The mandorla, comprising a halo around the head and one around the body, is outlined by a raised band 5 cm thick. The Buddha image and its mandorla were carved in relief from a single piece of granite, and the figure appears to be seated as if on a chair, an unusual style for such an image. As an image of Avalokitesvara carved together with its mandorla from a single stone, and wearing an unusual crown in the shape of three mountain peaks, it is a valuable piece of Buddhist heritage for the study of Buddhist sculpture and its history.

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Where it is

Region

Eumseong, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산