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Dongcheondong: Reliquary with the Four Heavenly Kings
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Dongcheondong: Reliquary with the Four Heavenly Kings
SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Gyeongju; Unified Silla dynasty (668–935); Bronze; H: 6 cm; Gyeongju National Museum, South Korea
Reliquaries with depictions of the Four Heavenly Kings began to appear in 682 during the Unified Silla dynasty, continuing until the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). These images usually appear in relief on the four sides of a reliquary as a symbol of protection.
This reliquary was not discovered inside a pagoda, but in a square stone casket buried in the side of a mountain. Each of the Four Heavenly Kings has a nimbus and a mandorla. The square lid has a raised lotus bud at the center and is decorated with floral and vine patterns. |
