Stone Seated Amitabha Buddha of Moeunam Hermitage, Gimhae

Material and Form: stone, gilded, with the pedestal carved separately. Dimensions: total height 55.7 cm; height of the figure including the tenon 44.0 cm; head height 16.0 cm; hairline to chin 8.5 cm; face width 10.0 cm; ear to ear 13.5 cm; shoulder width 20.0 cm; chest depth 12.3 cm; abdomen depth 13.4 cm; knee width 27.3 cm; knee height 7.0 cm; maximum front-to-back diameter of the base 24.3 cm; maximum left-to-right diameter of the base 29.3 cm; front-to-back diameter of the cavity hole in the base 8.3 cm; left-to-right diameter of the cavity hole in the base 8.3 cm. Current condition: This surveyed Buddha image is enshrined in the main hall of Moeunam Hermitage as the central figure of a group of three Buddhas. The two attendant figures flanking it differ stylistically from the central image in bodily proportions and facial features and are of a later date. According to the temple, the image was regilded 25 years ago, and the area around the neck, having been damaged, was rejoined and repaired. Fortunately the head and face were not damaged, so there is no great difficulty in identifying the stylistic features of the image. Excluding the height of its tenon, the image itself is small, at 39 cm. Unusually, a round tenon measuring 25.5 cm left to right and 20.7 cm front to back is formed on the underside of the image, and the pedestal, made of a soft stone used for Buddhist images, has a groove of a similar size cut into its upper surface so that the image can be fitted into it – a compact work made as a solitary image for a small hermitage hall. At the centre of the base of the image is a cone-shaped cavity hollowed out for the ritual deposit; the interior of this cavity, about 19 cm deep, still clearly shows marks left by a carving knife about 1.5 cm wide used to hollow it out. It is said that at the time of the regilding a container of ritual deposits and some printed scriptures still remained inside, but these have now all disappeared. Stylistic features: This stone Amitabha image sits cross-legged with its upper body bent slightly forward from the waist. The head is somewhat large in proportion to the body, but the good balance between the shoulders and legs gives the pose a sense of stability. Both hands, which appear rather large for the body, are placed neatly on the legs with their backs facing upward; in particular, the upper surface of the wrists leading from the elbows is carved excessively thick and flat without regard to bodily proportion, revealing the limitations of late-Joseon carving technique. There is no clear division between the head and the usnisa (cranial protuberance); an oval cranial jewel sits at their centre, and a cylindrical finial jewel decorates the very top. The face is wide in proportion to its length, which lengthens the eyes; their outer corners turn up slightly, giving a somewhat more intense impression, while the hooked nose, narrow philtrum and the faint smile held on the lips together create an overall impression that is dignified yet compassionate. On the neck are carved, in incised lines, the samdo – the three curved lines conventionally marking the neck of a Buddha image. The robe consists of an inner vest-like garment worn over the right shoulder, over which the outer robe is worn in a modified style baring the right shoulder; at the front of the abdomen the hems of the inner garment and the outer robe fall symmetrically, following the standardised appearance of late-Joseon Buddhist images. The undergarment worn up to the chest is folded diagonally at its centre for decorative effect, and the hem of the skirt-like lower garment between the two legs forms three folds spreading out to either side. Surveyor's opinion: No ritual-deposit items such as a votive text have survived with this image. Although it is a small image, its face, with its emphasised squareness, and its hooked nose reveal the stylistic features of Buddha images of the Saengnan school, which was active mainly in Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do in the first half of the 18th century. A particularly notable feature is that the image and its pedestal were made together as a single set, a form well suited to a small space such as a modest worship hall. The Moeunam Buddha image in Gimhae is therefore valuable material not only for understanding the characteristics of Buddha images of the early 18th century but also for approaching questions about the schools of monk-sculptors active in the Gyeongsang-do region.

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Where it is

Region

Gimhae, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료