Gilt‑Bronze Figure of a Pensive Bodhisattva

Gilt‑Bronze Figure of a Pensive  Bodhisattva

Late Baekje Period, c. 600 AD

A masterpiece of Korean Buddhist sculpture—exceptionally preserved, rigorously tested, and now offered for private sale.A 19 cm treasure of luminous gold, gentle smile, and intact detail—widely considered the only gilt‑bronze pensive bodhisattva attributable to Baekje still in private hands.

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

Facts:

• Catalogue No.  187620‑1• Date / Dynasty  Late Baekje, Three Kingdoms Korea (circa 600 AD)• Material High‑tin gilt‑bronze; no zinc, trace bismuth/arsenic (ancient smelting signature).• Condition Gold layer 95 % intact; red pigment still visible on the lips.• Provenance Discovered 1993 on Buyeo’s Buso‑san → Yu Dae‑ung → dealer Baek Bu‑yeong (1995) → Choi family (1996‑present).• Current Location USA (privately held, export‑cleared by Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration).

A rare gilt‑bronze masterpiece in private hands, accompanied by three decades of scientific tests, scholarly debate, and legal scrutiny.

THE ORIGIN STORY

Dream‑guided discovery (1993)
Bus driver Yu Dae‑ung followed a vivid dream to Buso‑san after heavy rains. There, glinting in the washout, lay this bodhisattva—golden, flawless, palm‑sized. A quick “stone‑tap” test broke an oval chip from the base (still visible today), convincing Yu the metal was ancient, not modern alloy.Early rejection (1994)
At the National Museum of Korea, Chief Curator Kang Wubang declared: “Too perfect—must be modern.” The statue was returned, branded a fake.Dealer’s crusade (1995‑1996)
Antiquarian Baek Bu‑yeong bought the figure for ₩150 million (about $400,000 USD in today's money), gathered metallurgical tests and six senior scholars’ endorsements—but museum officials dug in. Court charges, National Assembly petitions, and even death threats followed before Baek finally secured a “non‑cultural‑property” export licence and flew the figure to Japan.Japanese verdict (1996‑1997)
CT scans and X‑ray fluorescence at the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties found gas‑voids, element migration, and zero zinc—“A 7th‑century bronze, beyond doubt.” Nara National Museum curators called it “national‑treasure calibre.”*The Korean establishment never reversed its 1994 verdict, leaving the piece in limbo—authentic to science and most scholars, “fake” in one curator’s enduring opinion.

WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS

• High Tin (>20 %) Matches 6‑7th‑c Korean recipes; copper loss in corrosion zones confirms long burial.• Trace Bi & As Impurities typical of primitive smelting, absent in modern industrial bronze.• Gold Micro‑structure Porosity identical to gilt bronzes in Japan’s 7th‑c Shōsō‑in treasury (full lab reports available).

WHY IT MATTERS

1. Singular No other gilt‑bronze pensive bodhisattva from Baekje is documented in Korea.2. Condition Intact gilding, undamaged facial detail, surviving red lip pigment—anomalously pristine for 1,400 years.3. Cross‑Cultural Lens Bridges Northern Wei / Liang Chinese motifs with Baekje artistry at the twilight of the Three Kingdoms.4. Provenance Drama Dream discovery, museum controversy, courtroom acquittal, international vindication—an irresistible narrative for collectors and scholars alike.

SCHOLARLY VOICES

“Compatibility with late‑6th‑century Korean sculpture certifies its authenticity.”
— Prof. Marilyn M. Rhie, Smith College (1997)“Seven unmistakable Baekje hallmarks—genuine, c. 600 AD.”
— Prof. Onishi Shuya, Kyushu University (2002)“Technique and alloy wholly consonant with Three Kingdoms bronzes.”
— Dr. Sadamu Kawada, Nara & Tokyo National Museums (2002)

ACQUISITION ENQUIRIES

For high‑resolution photography, extensive provenance files, scientific reports, and pricing, please contact:Ms. Joo Hee Choi 최주희
[email protected]Serious institutional or private collectors only.

SIMILAR EXAMPLES

금동 반가 사유상 | 소장품 검색:국립중앙박물관 National Treasure 78, Baekje.Deoksu 3200, H. 20.9cm Three Kingdoms PeriodSinsu 4165, H. 26 cm, There Kingdoms PeriodM 265, H. 17.1 cm, Three Kingdoms PeriodTreasure 331, Deoksu 2327, H. 28.2cm, Three Kingdoms Period, Baekje style. SillaSilla, sold for $1.2 M at Christie’sProperty of Goto Shinshudo. (Not Baekje), sold for $732,500Literature
鄭永鎬 (Chung Yeongho),百濟金銅半跏思惟像의 新例, 文化史學, vol. 3, 韓國文化史學會: 1995, pp. 11-49.久野健 (Kuno Takeshi), 仏教芸術 (ARS Buddhica) Vol. 269, 每日新問社: 2003, pp. 116-118.久野健 (Kuno Takeshi), “百濟金銅半加思惟像について”, 文化史學, vol. 20, 韓國文化史學會: 2003, pp. 7-10 and 11-13 (in Korean translation)大西修也 (Onishi Shuya), 韓國の佛敎彫刻, 東洋の美術藝術學ワォ-ラム, 勁草書房: 2006, pp. 337-8.

Gilt‑Bronze Figure of a Pensive Bodhisattva