Gaetaesa Temple: Buddha and Two Bodhisattvas

SOUTH KOREA, South Chungcheong, Nonsan; Goryeo dynasty

It is believed that these figures were made when Gaetaesa Temple was constructed between 936 and 940 during the Goryeo dynasty. They were listed as Treasure No. 219 in 1963.
The statues are out of proportion and some elements, like the squared feet, are stylized. The Buddha wears a monastic robe that leaves the right shoulder bare and the hands are in vitarka (teaching) mudra. The attendant Bodhisattvas wear jewelry ornamented with rosettes that also appear on the sharply depicted robes. The hand positions of the Bodhisattvas are reversed, but both have one hand raised and the other lowered. The Bodhisattvas are surprisingly in good condition with little weathering and their expressions are reminiscent of sculptures created during the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935).