Buddhist iconography in and outside India (Study)
by Purabi Gangopadhyay | 2016 | 47,446 words
This essay represents a a comparative study of Buddhist iconography in and outside India, focusing on regions such as China, Korea, and Japan. The study is divided into four chapters, covering: 1. The emergence of Buddhism in India and its spread to other countries; 2. A historical account of Indian Buddhist iconography and the integration of Brahm...
Buddhist images of earlier periods in Korea
Now we give below a short list of Buddhist images that belong to the various earlier periods. It will help us to understand the extent of artistic activities of the Korean Buddhist expecially their enthusiasm in representing the Buddhist images in sculptures : Buddhist Images In Korea Buddha Buddha Image Sakyamuni Dynasty/Period Paek che Maitreya Silla Date 552 584 579 616 Amitabha Korean-Koryo Period 13th century
- 83 Seated Image on the Pagna or Hanka Shiyui posture Image Height 1. Seated Bodhisattva 17.5 cm. 28.5 c.m.. 2. 3. 4. " 5. 6. 7. 80.2 c.m. 94.0 c.m. 21.0 c.m. 14.2 c.m. 16.6 c.m. Year 6th Century A.D. Last quarter of the 6th Century A.D. End of the 6th Century A.D. Early 7th Century A.D. Last half of the 6th Century A.D. Early 7th Century A.D. Early 7th century A. D. 1 8' 9. 16.4. cm... First half of the 7th Century. 9.4 c.m. : There are also some more figures in Korea which were made during the second half of the 7th Century. But the production of the seated images with one leg over the other knee are less noticeable during the period after the unification of the three kingdoms. i The above observations amply prove that the activities related to Buddhist art in Korea gained a momentum after the Buddhist religion was introduced to that country from China. The Korean sculptors too have exhibited their artistic skill in giving shape of the images as described above.
་་ 84. Initially, Korean sculptors initially taught, as we shall see in the following chapter on Japan, the Japanese Buddhist art of a image making, or in other words the religious art. Korea had been the principal source of inspiration to the Japanese sculptors and the painters who successfully gave commandable forms to the Buddhist images that obviously manifest the artistic impulse of the Japanese sculptors and painters of the time. Therefore, we have no hesitation to draw an inference that Korean Buddhism though nourished by the Chinese Buddhist thoughts and ideas, greatly developed the religion and the religious art that in no time came to be considered as Korea's own cultural product. :