Seated Stone Avalokitesvara of Yonghwasa Temple, Tongyeong

This is an elegant seated stone Buddha statue 42.0 cm in height, with a head that is somewhat large in proportion to the body; the upper body leans forward and the shoulders appear drawn slightly inward. The left hand rests on the crossed legs with the fingers pointing downward, while the right hand, placed on the knee, forms an unusual mudra with the palm facing up and both the middle and ring fingers bent to touch the thumb. The robe is worn in a modified tongyeon style (a robe covering both shoulders): a pyeonsam (a vest-like undergarment covering one shoulder) is worn on the right shoulder, over which the outer robe (daeui) is draped; the outer robe is pulled out from under the right arm and thrown over the left shoulder, its hem falling in a long fold to the base. The seunggakgi (the undergarment sash) across the chest is folded horizontally and tied neatly with a band. The folds of drapery flowing down between the crossed legs turn back once at the ankles before falling long below, and are rendered as if spreading out to either side. According to the votive text written at the time of its creation, this stone Avalokitesvara statue was made in the Gyehae year, the 22nd year of the Kangxi era (1683), and it is known that the sculptor-monks were the monk Saengnan (色難), a geumeo (chief sculptor-monk) known to have been active in the Jeolla region, and his disciples. The votive text also records that statues of Kshitigarbha and the Ten Kings of the Underworld, along with the Avalokitesvara image, were made at the same time. However, the statues of Kshitigarbha and the Ten Kings no longer survive; the present set enshrined in the Myeongbujeon Hall (the Hall of the Underworld) of Yonghwasa Temple was brought from Yeongeunsa Temple in Hamyang during the reign of Emperor Gojong in the late Joseon period. The work, with a total height of 46.8 cm, is not large in scale, but it is a work by the monk-sculptor Saengnan, a geumeo who was active in the Honam (Jeolla) region in the late 17th century of the Joseon dynasty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Tongyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산