WHITE PORCELAIN STATUE OF BUDDHA

[Anchor Lead]

Most of the Buddhist statues at temples are made of metal or stone. A Joseon-era Buddhist statue made of white porcelain has been put up for auction for the first time. Here's a look at the miniature statue the size of a finger.

[Pkg]

​A statue of the sitting Buddha made of white porcelain... A hint of a smile can be seen in the closed eyes and thin lips. The statue is similar in size to a paper cup, measuring only 7 centimeters tall, including the black stand. From the crown to the draped robe, the subtlety of detail is so stunning that it's hard to believe the piece was made with clay.

[Soundbite] PARK CHUL-HYUN(SPECTATOR) : "I didn't know at first how subtle it is, because it's really tiny. It's amazing that it has been preserved to this day."

The box where the statue is kept contains a note written in Chinese characters. The note was written by independence activist and calligrapher Oh Se-chang in 1926. It says the statue was made during the Joseon period in Bunwon. Bunwon was a group of royal kilns where pottery for the royal court was produced. This means the statue was likely produced at the king's order. So far, only a few porcelain statues of people or bodhisattvas have been found. This is the first discovery of a fully preserved porcelain statue of Buddha.

[Soundbite] EUM JUNG-WOO(SEOUL AUCTION) : "We have found that this discovery is unprecedented. The piece has everything required to be regarded as a cultural property."

Sources say the rare relic was once taken to Japan, but it was eventually returned to Korea.