Seosan: Buddha Triad

SOUTH KOREA, South Chungcheong, Seosan; Baekje period

These carvings were discovered in 1959 on rocks about 10 m above a nearby stream. The well-preserved reliefs date from the 7th century and were listed as National Treasure No. 84 in 1962.
The three smiling figures are supported on pedestals of inverted lotuses, their features demonstrating the gentle style of the Baekje period (18 BCE–663). The Buddha’s right hand is in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra, while the left is in a mudra with two fingers pointed down. The figure is dressed in a monastic robe that covers both shoulders and falls to the ankles. A lotus patterned nimbus, rimmed with flames, is depicted behind the head. The 1.7 m high Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, on the left, holds a jewel and wears a headdress draped with stoles styled after the Sui dynasty (581–618). A Bodhisattva in contemplation, 1.66 m in height, sits on a throne on the other side, with a bent right leg crossed on the left, and the cheek supported on the right hand. Both have circular lotus nimbuses.