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Buddha Triad

This gilt-bronze plaque, found along with other Buddhist images at the site of the royal palace garden in Kyongju, testifies to the enormous favor enjoyed by Buddhism during the Unified Silla period (668–935), when the religion was lavishly patronized by the court and the aristocracy. The Buddha holds his hands in the dharmachakra (teaching) mudra, which symbolizes the turning of the wheel of the Buddhist law. Seated on a lotus throne, the central deity is flanked by two graceful bodhisattvas, who bend their waists toward him. The solid and weighty presence of the Buddha, the realistic modeling of all three figures, and the elaborately decorated double-lotus pedestal and openwork aureoles contribute to the three-dimensional sculptural effect, the result of a highly accomplished casting technique.

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