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How did the Unified Silla period become a golden age of ancient Korean art?
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Korean art
Dragon jar, porcelain with iron-painted decoration under clear glaze, Korea, mid-17th century; in the Brooklyn Museum, New York. 31.4 × 37.1 cm. Diameter at mouth 12 cm. Diameter at base 9.5 cm.
The Unified Silla period (668–935) is considered the golden age of ancient Korean art due to a unique combination of political stability, religious fervor, and international exchange. Following the unification of the Korean peninsula, the kingdom adopted a sophisticated bureaucratic model and modeled its capital, Kyŏngju, after the Tang capital of Chang’an, fostering a cosmopolitan environment.123
Key factors contributing to this artistic flourishing include:
- Religious Prosperity: Buddhism experienced a resurgence, leading to the construction of numerous temples, such as the Pulguk Temple, and the creation of vast quantities of granite pagodas and Buddhist images.12
- Technical Mastery: Artisans excelled in bronze casting—producing massive temple bells and sharira boxes—and stone masonry, exemplified by the Sŏkkuram cave temple, which is considered a pinnacle of East Asian Buddhist art.12
- Aesthetic Innovation: Silla art embraced an "idealized naturalism" characterized by soft contours and flowing lines, reflecting an international style influenced by Tang realism but adapted with unique Korean proportions and architectural details.32