Deogsanmyeon: Seated Buddha and Standing Bodhisattva

NORTH KOREA, Pyongyang; Goguryeo dynasty

These statues belonged to a group of artifacts unearthed at a temple site of Deogsanmyeon in 1937. Most of them were produced from molds and are distinctive for their portrayal of open-mouthed characters. The seated Buddha has a round face and wears a simple monastic robe. The lower portion of the body is missing. The Bodhisattva stands on a roughly modeled lotus pedestal with the right hand in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. The long robe falls in vertical folds and the overhang at the wrists is particularly pronounced. There is a double loop of the long stole around the figure’s knees. The style of the clothing is reminiscent of the Chinese Southern and Northern Dynasties (386–589).