Guhwangri Three-Tier Pagoda: Seated Buddha

SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Gyeongju; Unified Silla dynasty

An inscription found on the inside of the reliquary lid recorded that an Amitabha Buddha statue had been placed inside the Three-Tier Pagoda at Guhwangri by King Seongdeok (reigned 702–736) in 706. It is believed that the statue mentioned was this one. The statue was listed as National Treasure No. 79 in 1962.
The figure sits cross-legged on a lotus throne. The Buddha’s right hand is raised in abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the left hand rests on the knee. The monastic robe that covers both shoulders falls in regular waves and a cloth overhangs the throne in stylized vertical folds. The statue’s head is slightly larger in relation to the body, this is a characteristic that appeared after the 8th century in Korea. An ornate aureole and petal-shaped nimbus with an openwork inner rim surrounded by an outer rim of flames is behind the Buddha. The back piece was made separately and when the figure is removed it is possible to see the design on the solid backing of the throne.