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This rare bronze triad from the 1400s shows Amitabha (아미타불 in Korean), or the Buddha of the Western Paradise, seated on a lotus pedestal at the center. He is flanked by two sacred attendants, Ksitigarbha (지장보살 in Korean) on his left and Avalokitesvara (관음보살 in Korean) on his right. The combination of these three Buddhist deities was particularly popular in the early Joseon period. The small scale suggests that this triad might have been displayed in a personal shrine rather than a large worship hall.

Korean Art in Early Chosön, 1400-1600. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (March 17-June 21, 2009).

Korean Art in Early Chosön, 1400-1600

Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud. Hoam Museum of Art, Kyunggi-do, Korea (Republic of) (March 19-June 23, 2024) https://www.leeumhoam.org/hoam/exhibition/77.

Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud

Buddhist Art. Detroit Institute of Arts, Twenty-Fourth Loan Exhibition, October, 1942. Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 1942).

A sculpture with three bronze Buddhist deities seated on lotus pedestals next to each other. The deity on our left has his right hand raised, holding a small spherical object, and his left hand held near his stomach, his palm facing up. The deity in the middle has short hair with circular curls and hands that are similar to the deity on our left, except the deity in the middle has his left hand's palm facing us, with his middle finger bent to touch his thumb. The deity on our right has his hands down, with his right hand resting on his right leg, which is dangling off the pedestal.

Worcester R. Warner [1846–1929], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

The jewelry the attendants wear represents their status as bodhisattvas.

Jewlery

The gesture the Buddha makes with his hand represents his status as a teacher.

Hand

The Amita Buddha sits on a lotus, a white flower that grows in murky ponds, which represents purity.

Lotus

Amita Triad

A Devotional Object

Amitabha Triad

금동아미타여래삼존좌상 (金銅阿彌陀如來三尊坐像)

This rare bronze <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.501">Amitabha Triad</a> from the 1400s shows Amitabha (아미타불 in Korean), seated on a lotus pedestal at the center. He is flanked by two sacred attendants, Ksitigarbha (지장보살 in Korean) on his left and Avalokitesvara (관음보살 in Korean). Join Sooa McCormick, curator of Korean Art, to learn more about this unusual combination of figures.

Korean Art in 60 Seconds: Amitabha Triad