Standing Buddha and Bodhisattva

KOREA; Three Kingdoms Period

This artwork believed to be uncovered from a temple site in Cheongpung township of North Chungcheong, South Korea, is the only extant example where a Buddha is juxtaposed with a Bodhisattva. No similar works of art were found in India or China. The Buddha on the left has a peach-shaped nimbus and is dressed in a long-sleeved robe that reaches to the ground, over which a stole is looped. The Bodhisattva on the right has a round nimbus and a crown. The figure’s upper garment has stiff shoulder pieces and stoles looped over the body and raised left arm. One end of the stole is supported in the figure’s lowered right hand, in a manner common in Northern Qi (550–577) and early Sui (581–618) dynasties. The backside of the piece is carved with mountain peaks in rippling layers, as well as fish and flowers at the bottom, suggesting an expression of the cosmological concept.