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
Small statues like this work were designed to be portable, rather than to be permanently housed in a Buddhist temple.
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.
The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.