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Gilt bronze Buddha statue from Three Kingdoms period found

Gilt bronze Buddha statue from Three Kingdoms period found

Posted October. 17, 2017 07:23,   

Updated October. 17, 2017 08:14

한국어

A gilt bronze statue of Buddha, presumed to have been built during the period of the Three Kingdoms in the late sixth century, has been found at the site of the Jinjeon Temple in Yangyang County, Gangwon Province.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea announced on Monday that a Buddha triad statue made of gilt bronze was found near the Three-story Pagoda of Jinjeon Temple Site (National Treasure No. 122) from an excavation project, which the Kukgang Archeological Institute and the Yangyang municipal government started in July.

The statue remains well preserved with only a part of the upper side of the halo and a bit of the lotus-patterned pedestal in the bottom missing. Standing 8.7 centimeters tall, it is only the size of an adult’s palm, yet the value of the Buddha statue is eval‎uated as that of a national treasure for its rarity and a clear location of excavation, and its well-preserved condition. In the preservation treatment implemented by the Chuncheon National Museum, the apparently bronze statue turned out to be made of gilt bronze.

“The three-piece detail of the jewelry crown, the X-shaped crease and the incarnation of Buddha suggest that the piece is a sophisticated Buddha statue produced during the period of Three Kingdoms,” said an official from the Cultural Heritage Administration.



Won-Mo Yu onemore@donga.com