The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Gilt bronze sculpture of standing Amitabha, a deity with long ears and hair piled in three, narrowing levels rounded at the top, standing on a pedestal shaped like a lotus flower. He wears flowing robes, holding his left hand down, palm facing up. He holds his right hand in front of him, other fingers curving in towards his thumb. Flakes of the gilding have worn away to reveal the dark brown bronze underneath.

Statue of Amitabha

800s

Korea, Unified Silla period

(676-935)
gilt bronze
Overall: 22.5 x 7.2 x 7.2 cm (8 7/8 x 2 13/16 x 2 13/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1998.79
Location: 236 Korean

Did You Know?

Small statues like this work were designed to be portable, rather than to be permanently housed in a Buddhist temple.

Description

This small sculpture shows Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise and the focus of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, which was popular across East Asia, including Korea. This deity is recognizable from its right hand raised palm out in a gesture that reassures viewers to have no fear.
  • Gwak, Dong-seok. Hanguk ui geumdongbul [한국의 금동불] . Seoul: Dareun sesang, 2016.
    Nelson, Sarah. Gyeongju: The Capital of Golden Silla. Routledge, 2019.
    Kang, U-bang. Hangung bulgyo jogang ui heureum [한국 불교 조각 의 흐름]. Soeul: Daewonsa, 1995.
    Lee, So-young, and Denise Patry Leidy. Silla: Korea's Golden Kingdom. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013.
    Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Sculpture [고대불교조각대전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2015.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 140-141, no. 98
  • {{cite web|title=Statue of Amitabha|url=false|author=|year=800s|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.79