Seated Stone Vairocana Buddha of Daewonsa Temple, Gapyeong

Its exact origin is unclear: some say it was found in Yaksajeon Hall, others that it was brought from elsewhere. However, since traces of red ochre still remain on its surface, it is presumed that at some point it was buried in the ground with its head severed. Whether from damage sustained when it was found or otherwise, the surface has flaked away in places, including the left shoulder, the back of the right hand and the upper part of the left hand. Though a small statue only 80 cm in total height, the rounded, gentle contours and the harmonious overall proportions of its full-bodied form reveal the stylistic traits of a Unified Silla Buddha image. At the crown of the head, covered in small spiral curls, a low usnisha is broadly rendered. Weathering has effaced the facial features, but traces of their once-rounded fullness remain, and the shoulders are thick and rounded. The Buddhist robe is draped over both shoulders, but since the hem of an undergarment shows at the chest and a skirt-hem at the abdomen, it is presumed that the robe in fact covered only the left shoulder, in the style that leaves the right shoulder bare. Between the two legs, crossed in the full lotus position, the fan-shaped folds typically seen on the mid-eighth-century principal Buddha of Seokguram Grotto appear here transformed into straight lines. Both hands are clenched into fists, the right held at the chest and the left at the abdomen, suggesting that the statue forms the wisdom-fist gesture of Vairocana Buddha. As a stone Buddha image from the end of Silla or the beginning of Goryeo, it is an important resource for the study of Vairocana Buddha images in Gyeonggi Province.

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Where it is

Region

Gapyeong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료