Pensive Bodhisattva

Unknown artist

Three Kingdoms Period

Metal - Gilt-bronze

National Museum of Korea

A gilt-bronze statue depicts a seated figure with a crown, resting its chin on its hand in a pensive pose. The figure wears ornate robes and is seated on a decorative base. A gilt-bronze statue depicts a seated figure with a crown, resting its chin on its hand in a pensive pose. The figure wears ornate robes and is seated on a decorative base. This statue strikes a classic contemplative pose: one leg perched up on the other knee, with fingers raised up against the cheek. This pose is quite common in Buddhist sculpture, and it was derived from the young Indian Prince, Siddhartha Gautama, contemplating the nature of human life. In China, such pensive statues were most common in the 5th and 6th centuries, while in Korea they are usually from the 6th and 7th centuries. This Buddhist statue (designated as K