Gold-bronze Bodhisattva in a pensive posture (National Treasure of South Korea No. 83)
The South Korean National Treasure No. 83 is a gilded bronze sculpture of a Bodhisattva in a pensive posture. It does not have an individual name, but is commonly referred to as bangasang ( 반가상 , sculpture with half-crossed legs) or bangasayusang ( 반가사 유상 , sculpture with half-crossed legs in a thoughtful pose), these terms generally referring to representations of Buddhist cult images in a thoughtful pose. In many publications one also comes across the interpretive term geumdong mireuk bosal banga (sayu) sang ( 금동 미륵 보살 반가 (사유) 상 , gold bronze sculpture of the Bodhisattva Maitreya with half-crossed legs in a thoughtful pose). The interpretation of many sculptures in a thoughtful posture is unclear due to the lack of clear attributes and indicative inscriptions and is also controversially discussed in this piece. The geumdong ( 금동 ) in front of the name refers to the working materials used: gold and bronze.
Material and technology
The sculpture is made of bronze and the surface is gilded. Since bronze was considered very valuable and was also expensive, the material was preferably used for casting cult images because of its high esteem, but it was cast hollow and not solid to save material. The technique of the lost form was used , in which the sculpture could be cast with a very thin wall. The good mastery of the technique is shown in the fact that the wall thickness of the sculpture is only about 4–5 millimeters and the object has no noticeable casting defects apart from small, superficial blistering. The surface of the figure was refined with the technique of fire gilding .
State of preservation
The Korean National Treasure No. 83 is approximately 93.5 cm high. Its quality of craftsmanship and the state of preservation can be classified as very good. Most of the gilding has been preserved. It can be seen all over the body without any major voids. However, there is also no longer a continuous gold-plated surface. Due to the remaining gilding, the patination of the bronze is relatively minor. There are only fine traces of patina formation on the face and chest. The casting of the bronze hardly shows any major defects, such as blistering. Although this occurs across the entire sculpture, it is relatively small. Loss of material through breaks occurs only at the edges of the crown .
Object description
A young man sits on a pedestal or pedestal that is completely covered by the robe . The figure is dressed simply. Her upper body is completely free and she only wears a wide leg band that falls in loose folds. Her headdress is a simple, three-pointed crown. The protruding bulges of the crown edge are gently curved and regularly arranged around the circumference, with one of the tips facing forward. As a body ornament, she wears a simple necklace that is worked in the form of two raised beads that run directly parallel to each other and are relatively short and therefore run high above the chest . Sometimes they are not interpreted as part of a ribbon-like, flattened chain, but as parallel, thin individual cords. Furthermore, a simple ring is placed on each of the upper arms. None of the jewelry has gemstones or other decorations. The leg wall is cut wide, completely envelops the base and wraps itself around it in a circle over the floor. It is held in place by a simple, scarf-like sash that is pulled through a simple gathering ring for fastening. The left foot of the figure stands on a flat-worked lotus base, which follows the foot in its outline. Its petals are relatively small and delicately worked and arranged in pairs.
dress
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The clothing of National Treasure No. 83 is very simple. The upper body remains completely unclothed and the figures each only wear the trousers known as antarvastra , a loose, loose wrap skirt. The sculpture has no decorative ribbons or tassels , but only a gathering ring on each side of the hip, through which the simple, unhemmed sash that girds the antarvastra is pulled . However, this band does not fall down, but disappears under the figure's buttocks. Otherwise the surface of the garment is smooth and unadorned and gives the impression that it was made of simple, light cloth. The decoration of the sculpture is also very simple. She only wears a necklace and the simple upper arm bands.
style
The simplicity of the clothing and the jewelry, as well as the body design of the sculpture connects to the sculpture style of the Northern Wei . Emperor Xiaowen Chinese 孝文 (r. 471 to 499 AD) ushered in a phase of strong Sinization , which also had a lasting influence on Buddhist art. Until then, Buddhist art was strongly influenced by the Gandharas and thus influenced by South and Central Asia. It was not until the fifth century that the change to a Sinized Buddhist art took place. This was characterized by a turning away from the naturalistic representation. Instead, the figures became more abstract and their appearance more idealized. Clothing conventions also played a role. They differed not only in terms of the way in which the individual items of clothing were worn from the Indian models, but also in terms of the materials. According to the monastic rules of the order Vinaya-pitaka, there are clothing regulations that must be observed by the monks. These prescribe the number and type of clothing items and the nature of the clothing. The Chinese conventions deviate from this regulation. This can be seen in many examples, including the examples discussed here. It was therefore a requirement to hide excess fabric under the buttocks when sitting. Chinese sculptures, however, mostly sat on pedestals or pedestals that were overhanged by the wide, flowing leg garments. In addition, the antarvastra was depicted with elaborate and lush folds, which emphasized the deviation from the Gandharic style, which strictly reflected the dress code. This way of dealing with the excess material was carried over to the representation of the Bodhisattva and adopted throughout East Asia. In addition, the material of clothing worn in China differed from that prescribed in Vinaya-pitaka . Often the garments were not made of rags and scraps, or of coarse fabric, but consisted of silk. The representations were based on the clothing conventions customary in China and so the clothing of the sculptures was characterized by delicacy and lightness, especially after the phase of strong Sinization. It was mostly tight and threw finer folds in clothing. This style was supported by the stylistic device of the "wet robe" ( Chinese 出水 , pinyin chūshǔi - "" to go out of the water, "to leave the water" "), which arose in the art schools of Mathura and Sarnath in India, in Central Asia enjoyed great popularity and finally made it to China. The monumental Buddha of the Yungang grottoes are exemplary of this style, which is also shown in contemporary representations of thoughtful bodhisattva. The clothes are mostly depicted very realistically on sculptures of the northern Wei. However, through the intended representation of thin silk fabric, the folds often appear abstract and idealized. The depiction on National Treasure No. 83, however, shows a more irregular, voluminous drapery, which suggests the depiction of a coarser fabric.
Historical contextualization and comparison objects
Figurative representations in a state of thoughtfulness became known in China in the early fifth century, coming from the west. From there they spread to Korea and Japan. “Bodhisattva in a pensive posture” enjoyed great popularity until the seventh century, but later faded into the background compared to other cult images. First they appeared in triad representations or narrative representations. During the first half of the sixth century, numerous representations of pensive bodhisattva in the Hebei Province region appeared on small votive steles in which they occupy the central position. These often show scenes that point to Siddharta Gautama before reaching enlightenment, or even have inscriptions that they designate as tàizǐ 太子 , ie “(Crown) Prince”, that is, explicitly refer to Siddharta Gautama. In Shandong the distribution of thoughtful Bodhisattva is rather limited, but the representations here are partly life-size, round sculptural stone carvings. These served as a template for the full sculptures of the Korean peninsula and, as a result, for Japanese sculptures. However, these pieces do not have any inscriptions or specific names. Their interpretation and naming is therefore unclear.
The most important comparison object is the crown-wearing Maitreya or Hōkan Miroku from the collection of the Kōryū-ji in Kyoto . Together, they are probably the best-known examples of thoughtful Bodhisattva or thoughtful Maitreya. They are often referred to as "twin sculptures" because at first glance they are strikingly similar. They differ only slightly in their elaboration, but are of different sizes and made of different materials. The Japanese example is carved from the wood of the Japanese red pine and used to be lacquered and gilded. This gilding is no longer there today, as a frame was removed from a restoration at the end of the 19th century. As a result, the fingers of the right hand no longer touch the bodhisattva's cheek, but are just a short distance from it. The positioning of the folds on the leg wall is also slightly shifted, but stylistically very similar. “Bodhisattva in a pensive posture” enjoyed great popularity until the seventh century, but later faded into the background compared to other cult images. In addition, many sculptures or stone carvings from the Kingdom of Paekche and Japanese sculptures in the Asuka period Tori style show comparable characteristics in the depiction of clothing and bodies, since Paekche occupies a central position between Shandong , from where it took up Chinese influences, and Japan, with the it maintained close diplomatic contacts. The Tori style can be viewed as a direct descendant of the Wei style and many sculptures show comparable garments.
literature
- Kang Woobang (Ed.): Eternal Images of Shakyamuni: Two Gilt-bronze Korean National Treasures , Korea Foundation , Seoul (2008)
- Nickel, Lukas (ed .; exhibition catalog): The return of the Buddha. Chinese sculptures of the 6th century. The temple find of Qingzhou , Museum Rietberg (among others), Zurich (among others) (2001)
- van Alphen, Jan (Ed .; exhibition catalog): The Buddha in the Dragon Gate: Buddhist sculpture of the 5th - 9th from Longmen , China, Etnografisch Museum Antwerpen, Antwerpen (2001)
- Washizuka Hiromitsu et al. (Ed .; exhibition catalog): Transmitting Forms of Divinity: Early Buddhist Art from Korea and Japan , Abrams, New York (2003)