Gamsansa Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva
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Gamsansa Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva
SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Gyeongju; Unified Silla dynasty
The figure wears the complex headdress and jewelry of a Bodhisattva. The slight displacement of the head to one side and the waist to the other gives the figure a sinuous contour, which is accentuated by the winding fall of the stole that wraps about the body. The left hand is lifted in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the right hand lowered at the side. The Bodhisattva stands barefoot on a lotus pedestal set on an octagonal base. The thin material of the belted skirt allows the shape of the legs to show through. The intersecting nimbus and aureole behind are double banded and enclosed by stylized flames to form a mandorla.
An inscription found on the side of the statue identifies the noble, Kim Jiseong, as the person who commissioned the statue to commemorate his parents. It was listed as National Treasure No. 81 in 1962.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 366.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M},
pages = 366,
title = {{Gamsansa Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}