Standing Amitabha, Korea, Unified Silla period (676-935), 9th century. Gilt bronze. Overall: 25.4 cm; with tang: 26 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1988.34.

This Korean statue has a stylistic affinity with statues from the Indian Gupta period (300s–500s CE) that emphasize soft modeling and naturalism.

Buddhist teachings emphasize the pursuit of spirituality, rather than physicality, to achieve enlightenment. This statue’s artist, however, made genuine efforts to represent the divine’s beautiful voluminous body. Inspired by Indian Gupta period art (300s–500s CE), this particular artistic style emphasizing soft modeling and naturalism was further developed in China and flourished across East Asia.