Seated Stone Buddha

The seated stone Buddha enshrined in the Dharma hall of Geumjeong Middle School is a small stone statue 48 cm in overall height. It has been gilded over its entire surface except for the head and the base, and is in good condition with almost no damage. Overall, the head is somewhat larger in proportion to the body, the neck is short, and the figure sits with a straight back and the head tilted slightly forward. With horizontally half-open eyes, a straight, well-formed nose, a mouth with slightly upturned corners suggesting a smile, and large ears reaching from forehead to shoulder, the face shows a gentle, mild expression in which the solemnity typical of late Joseon Buddhist statues is somewhat relaxed. The robe closely follows the style of late Joseon Buddhist statues. At the base of the statue there is a cavity (bokjanggong) for sacred deposits, but it is sealed, so its form and contents cannot be examined in detail. However, on the underside of the base there is a dharani written in red ink together with a votive text pasted on upside down, which records that the statue was made in the ninth month of 1892 (the eighteenth year of the Guangxu era), the year imjin, by the monk craftsman (geumeo) Hyegyu. Although small, this seated stone Buddha follows the late Joseon style of statues made of bulseok, a soft stone used for Buddhist images, and since its exact date of production, maker, and original place of enshrinement are all known, it provides valuable material for examining the style and production of stone Buddhist statues in the Busan region at the end of the nineteenth century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Geumjeong-gu, Busan

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료