Seonsan: Standing Bodhisattva

SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Gumi; Baekje period

The statue was discovered at Seonsan in 1975 and was listed as National Treasure No. 183 in 1976. The smiling, slender Bodhisattva is standing on an inverted lotus pedestal, to one side of which once fell the damaged stole twining about the figure’s arms. The front of the headdress is ornamented with a seated Buddha. An elaborate bead ornament hangs the length of the body and is studded with medallions. The medallions mark the beginning of the ornament’s descent from the shoulders. The two strands meet at the waist, and divide once again to subsequently reverse direction at more medallions below the knees. The Bodhisattva holds a jewel in the raised right hand. The statue is modeled after Chinese statues from the Sui dynasty (581–618).