Muryangsa Ocheungseoktap Chulto Geumdongbulsang (Collection), Buyeo

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2060

Category

Sculpture

Era

고려전기 및 조선 초기

Designated year

2020

Location

종로구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 종로구 우정국로 55 (견지동, 조계사) 불교중앙박물관

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

The set of gilt-bronze Buddha statues was discovered at the Five-story Stone Pagoda of Muryangsa Temple in Buyeo while it was being repaired in 1971. It includes a statue of a seated gilt-bronze bodhisattva dating from the Goryeo period, and a seated gilt-bronze Amitabha Buddha Triad, which consists of the Buddha flanked by Avalokitesvara (Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion) and Ksitigarbha (Bodhisattva of Suffering), dating from the early Joseon Period. The temple’s voluminous five-story stone pagoda was made in the early Goryeo period, while the statues of the bodhisattva and the Buddha triad found inside it date from the early Goryeo period and the early Joseon period, respectively. They provide valuable information on the initial construction and subsequent renovation of the pagoda. In particular, the seated gilt-bronze bodhisattva statue found inside the third story of the pagoda is expected to shed light on the history of Buddhist sculpture of the early and mid-Goryeo period, an era for which research has stalled due to a lack of suitable materials. Meanwhile, the seated gilt-bronze Amitabha Buddha Triad found inside the first story of the pagoda is an important example of the composition of an Amitabha Buddha Triad consisting of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha, which was popular in the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods. The triad clearly displays the typical stylistic features of the early Joseon period, making it a valuable material for studies on the custom of placing Buddha statues inside a pagoda and on the history of Buddhist sculpture generally. It is also the most complete Amitabha Buddha triad in terms of composition, and is the largest of all such triads found inside a pagoda in Korea.