Guhwang’s early Silla gold-standing Buddha
Published: 31 May. 2015, 17:51
The Buddha has its own gold pedestal with a golden halo of light set behind its head. It is marked by a notably large topknot and an oval face wearing a merciful smile.
It has a shapely nose and eyes that look ahead pensively.
The pedestal, which was made separately before being fitted to the Buddha’s feet, is shaped like an overturned lotus blossom placed on a double-tiered base.
Experts believe - from the physical proportion of the statuette and the shape of the robe folds - that it is a piece from the early Unified Silla Period (676-935).
An inscription discovered in the sarira reliquary where it was stored strongly suggests it was made before 692 when the container was enshrined in the pagoda built that year.
Name: Gold Standing Buddha from Guhwang-dong, Gyeongju
Period: Early Unified Silla Period
Location: Yongsan District, Seoul
Status: National Treasure No. 80
*The photos and text for National Treasure are provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration. For more information, call (042) 481-4650 or visit www.cha.go.kr
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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