Standing Bodhisattva
Maker
Monk-Sculptor Yeongsaek
(Korean, active 1626 - 1645)
Datecirca 1633
MediumCarved lacquered wood construction with traces of original gilding, with partial set of original woodblock-printed consecration sutras remaining in the hollow of the head
DimensionsOverall: 29 1/2 × 9 × 11 in. (74.9 × 22.9 × 27.9 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, The Paul and Miriam Kirkley Fund for Acquisitions
Object number2010.116a-e
Status
Not on view About the Artist
About the Artwork
Pairs of statues of bodhisattvas—compassionate Buddhist deities—frequently flank a seated Buddha figure on a temple altar. This rare Joseon dynasty example displays a symbolic hand gesture (in Sanskrit, mudra), in which the middle finger and thumb touch, to signify the god’s benevolent welcome for the souls of believers into the ninth rank of rebirth in the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amita in Pure Land Buddhist belief.
1945