-
Back to front page
Monthly Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Michael Scorefield on LKL Celeb of the Month #1: Lee Da Hae
- Capitalism in old Kaesong | London Korean Links on Social and Cultural Change in late pre-modern Korea
- Philip Gowman on 100 years of the Salvation Army in Korea
- Michael Rank on 100 years of the Salvation Army in Korea
- Philip Gowman on 100 years of the Salvation Army in Korea
- Michael Rank on 100 years of the Salvation Army in Korea
-
Meta
Article categories
About
Artists
- Bae Bien-u
- Baek Lee-yong
- Baik Hyunjhin
- Bum Lee
- Chang Uc-chin
- Cho Duck-hyun
- Cho, Francesca
- Choe U-ram
- Choi Jeong-hwa
- Choi So-young
- Chung Kyung-ja
- Han, Debbie
- Hong Ji-yeun
- Hong Kyoung-tack
- Jang Seung-eop (Owon)
- Jeon Joon-ho
- June Bum Park
- Jung Chang Mo
- Jung Yeon-doo
- Kim Jin
- Kim Ki-chang
- Kim Kira
- Kim Sora
- Kim Tschang Yeul
- Kim Whanki
- Kwon Dae-hun
- Lee Bul
- Lee Dong-wook
- Lee Hyung-koo
- Lee Min-hyuk
- Lee Sea-hyun
- Lee Ufan
- Lim Taek
- Na Hye-seok
- Nam June Paik
- Osang Gwon
- Park Hyun-jung
- Park Saeng-kwang
- Park Seo-bo
- Park Soo-keun
- Park Young-sook
- Roe Kyung-jo
- Seunghee Kang
- Shin Dong-won
- Shin Mee-kyung
- Son U Yong
- Suejin Chung
- Suh Do-ho
- Suh Se-ok
- U Chi Son
Bands
Books
- Book reviews: Art
- Book reviews: Business & economy
- Book reviews: DPRK
- Book reviews: Film
- Book reviews: Foreign literature
- Book reviews: History
- Book reviews: Literature in Korean
- Book reviews: memoirs
- Book reviews: Music
- Book reviews: other
- Book reviews: Politics
- Book reviews: traditional culture
- Book reviews: Travel
- General book news
Cities
Commercial Galleries
Companies
Directors
DPRK
Events
Exhibitions
- 4482
- Antique Korean Maps
- ARCO 07 Madrid
- Art & Style in November
- Blight and Hope
- DPRK: Artists Art & Culture
- Eo-Ulim
- Give me Shelter
- Good Morning Mr Nam June Paik
- Millennium Dream
- Other exhibitions
- Permanent displays
- Smile of Buddha
- Still Dynamics
- Through the Looking Glass
- Traditional yet Contemporary
- Venice Biennale 2007
Festivals
- Asian Art in London
- Autumn K-Film 2007
- Autumn K-Film 2008
- Bozar 2008
- Chuseok 2007
- Chuseok 2008
- Dano 2007
- Dano 2008
- Edinburgh 2007
- Edinburgh 2008
- Food Festival 2007
- Food Festival 2008
- Kingston 2007
- Kingston 2008
- London Korean Festival 2006
- New Malden Festival 2007
- New Malden Festival 2008
- Thames Festival 2007
Film and TV
- Historical
- Interviews and features
Language & Learning
Leisure & Lifestyle
Lightweight reading
Living abroad
Media
Museums
Music: K-pop
Music: other
News topics
Organisations
People
- Bada
- Bae Doo-na
- Baek Ji-young
- BoA
- Choi Ji-woo
- Ha Ji-won
- Han Chae-young
- Han Go-eun
- Han Ye-seul
- Harisu
- Honey Lee
- Jang Dong-gun
- Jang Yoon-jeong
- Jeon Do-yeon
- Jeon Ji-hyun
- Jung Woo-sung
- Kim Hye-soo
- Kim Soo Hee
- Kim tae-hee
- Kim Yun-jin
- Kwon Sang-woo
- Lee Byung-hun
- Lee Eon-jeong
- Lee Hyolee
- Lee Mi-sook
- Lee Soo-young
- Lee Young-ae
- Lim Hyung-joo
- Moon Geun-young
- Moon So-ri
- Park Hyun-bin
- Rain
- Song Hye-kyo
- Uhm Jung-hwa
Performance arts
Seasonal posts
Style
Travel
Visual Arts
You ask
Category Archives: Seoul National Museum
By Matthew Jackson
The centrepiece of the Bozar exhibition of Korean Buddhist Art, beginning in Brussels on the 10th of October, will be the Pensive Bodhisattva statue, Korea’s National Treasure No. 83. It is difficult to describe in words why the statue is regarded so highly as a work of Buddhist art, because its qualities consist primarily in simplicity and lack of detail.
Although words may be inadequate, the statue’s renown in Asia (not least of all Japan, whose No. 1 national treasure is a near exact wooden copy of the statue) is primarily due to the feelings that it evokes in those who see it.
There are various interpretations of the statue’s meaning, but scholars agree that it is intended to depict ...
The Sarira Casket
27-Sep-08
Matthew Jackson describes one of the Buddhist treasures in the Seoul National Museum.
Of the few people I have asked who have visited the Seoul National Museum, no one has mentioned the Kameun Sarira Casket as the high point of their tour. When I visited the museum myself, even though I was specifically looking out for it, it became clear to me why. At a first glance, in room crowded full of exhibits, its initial appearance does not suggest anything special. Yet this masterpiece of gold artwork must surely rank among the greatest cultural exhibits Korea has to offer the world, both for its unique detail, and its profound religious symbolism.
[caption id="attachment_5638" align="alignright" width="220" caption="The real deal - gold granules on ...


