국립중앙박물관 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

Highlights
Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
  • Exhibition Name

    Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva

  • Nationality/Period

    Goryeo Dynasty

  • Materials

    Metal - Gilt-bronze

  • Category

    religion - Buddhism - adoration - image of Buddha

  • Dimensions

    H. 38.5cm

  • Accession Number

    Deoksu 801

  • Location

    Buddhist Sculpture

This Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sporting a multitude of jewels and a resplendent crown is a striking example of the “Cakravartin” (轉輪聖王) posture. The figure is seated with its right knee drawn up and the left resting on the floor. The right arm is extended to drape casually on the right knee, while the left is braced on the floor behind the left leg. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sculptures in the Cakravartin posture were very popular during the Song and Yuan Dynasties in China. In Korea, however, such statues are quite rare, although the posture does appear in Buddhist paintings of the late Goryeo and early Joseon Dynasties. This Avalokitesvara is wearing the crown of the Nirmana-Buddha, oversized flower earrings, and a plenitude of jewels and accessories, all reflecting Lamaism, a Tibetan-Mongolian form of Buddhism. Here, however, the sensuousness and excessive ornamentation characteristic of Lamaism are somewhat reduced and restrained. The comparatively moderate and somewhat simplified form demonstrates that foreign styles of Buddhist sculpture were received, interpreted, and developed in ways that were uniquely Korean.