Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012
Apr 18, 2012

Statue of Amitabha

Statue of Amitabha

금동여래입상 (金銅如來立像)

800s

Gilt bronze

Overall: 22.5 x 7.2 x 7.2 cm (8 7/8 x 2 13/16 x 2 13/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1998.79

Location

Did you know?

Small statues like this work were designed to be portable, rather than to be permanently housed in a Buddhist temple.

Description

This small sculpture shows Amita, the Buddha of the Western Paradise and the focus of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, which was popular across East Asia, including Korea. Amita is recognizable from its standing, frontal pose, its right hand raised palm out in a gesture that reassures viewers to have no fear. The aesthetics of the Silla period are reflected in the sculpture’s modest size, appropriate for an aristocrat’s private worship, and the use of gilt-bronze, exemplifying the popularity of gold at the time.

Video

A Bronze Buddha
Light and Flames
Pure Land Buddhism
See also
Collection: 
Korean Art
Department: 
Korean Art
Type of artwork: 
Sculpture
Medium: 
Gilt bronze

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