목조 보살 좌상 조선|木造菩薩坐像 朝鮮|Seated bodhisattva (left attendant of a triad)

Unknown

ca. mid-17th century · Gilt wood · Asian Art

This elegant figure represents a bodhisattva—a compassionate, enlightened being who has chosen to remain on earth to help mortals attain enlightenment. This statue was originally one of two attendant bodhisattvas that flanked a Shakyamuni or Amitabha Buddha. The tall, ornate crown, oblong face, and drapery with cascading folds indicate that the statue was likely produced by an esteemed school of Buddhist monksculptors led by Ingyun (active 1615–63) for a temple in the South Jeolla Province, an important Buddhist power base at the time.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. mid-17th century

Medium

Gilt wood

Culture

Korea

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015