Dongjo Seated Bodhisattva held at Geumbongsa Temple, Hadong

This is the Dongjo (bronze) Seated Bodhisattva held at Geumbongsa Temple, Hadong, dated to the Ming dynasty of China, a single figure made of bronze with later re-gilding (gaegeum). Its dimensions are: total height 20.8 cm; crown to chin 6.3 cm; height of the jewelled crown 2.4 cm; hairline to chin 3.3 cm; face width 3.1 cm; face depth 4.0 cm; ear to ear 4.1 cm; shoulder width 8.3 cm; chest depth 4.9 cm; knee width 10.9 cm; knee height 1.5 cm; pedestal height 4.7 cm; maximum front-to-back diameter of the pedestal base 10.4 cm; maximum left-to-right diameter of the pedestal base 14.1 cm; depth of the interior cavity 15.3 cm. This small bodhisattva figure, 20.8 cm in total height, wears an ornate crown and sits with its head bowed slightly forward on a lotus pedestal whose upward- and downward-facing petals are symmetrically carved; its hands form a mudra resembling the meditation mudra, with a medicine box resting on the palms. Traces of re-gilding remain in several places on the surface, and overall the figure is in good condition. The ornate flower-shaped finials on the crown, the sharp eyes, the beaded ornaments and the triangular lotus pedestal all reflect the sculptural style of Lamaist (Tibetan) Buddhist images. This style is also commonly seen in most gilt-bronze bodhisattva images made under the Yuan dynasty, and in Korean bodhisattva images of the late Goryeo period influenced by Yuan. Many gilt-bronze bodhisattva images in this style were likewise produced during the Ming dynasty of China; however, this figure differs in its bodily treatment from the sensuously modelled Lamaist-style images, and its detailing is somewhat less refined. It also lacks the blue oxidation patina commonly seen on earlier bronze sculptures, differing in this respect from Korean Buddhist images, suggesting that its date of production is not very early. The head monk of Geumbongsa Temple keeps the figure separately in a paulownia-wood box; the temple states that it was received long ago as a donation from a lay Buddhist and has remained in its keeping since. In the investigator's opinion, the intensely upturned eyes and the deeply, sharply incised lines of the hair and robe folds, together with the floral patterns incised on the hem of the robe and the particularly prominent lotus-petal carving of the pedestal, suggest a Chinese origin rather than the carving style of small Korean gilt-bronze Buddhist images. Accordingly, although the certificate of appraisal from the Korea Antique Art Association attached to the designation application identifies the figure as a genuine Goryeo-period work, it is presumed instead to be a bodhisattva image made during the Ming dynasty of China, and is understood as material bearing a relationship of influence with Korean Buddhist sculptural style.

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Where it is

Region

Hadong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료