A gilt-bronze figure of Buddha, Korea, United Silla period, circa 8th century | 朝鮮 統一新羅時代 約八世紀 銅鎏金佛立像

The Unified Silla period was the pinnacle of production of Buddhist sculpture, with numerous images created for private worship after Buddhism became the official religion in the 6th century. It is rare though to find a gilt-bronze sculpture of the Buddha of this large size. The sculpture is finely cast standing tall, the face in serene contemplation, the stylised robes of Udayana type, depicted as rolling waves cascading down the body, the symmetrical hems terminating with stylised inward-turning hooks. See a closely related but smaller (14cm high) standing sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 12.37.136), lacking its base, illustrated in Judith G. Smith and Elizabeth Hammer, The Arts of Korea: A Resource for Educators, New York, 2001, pl. 5. It shares the same mudra, symbolizing the dispelling of fear and the granting of wishes as well as the similar treatment of the contemplative expression and cascading folds on the drapery. 

Another closely related but smaller gilt-bronze figure of Buddha from the United Silla Period was sold at Christie's New York, 14th September 2017, lot 835, from the collection of Goto Shinshudo, and another is offered in this sale, lot 119.