MANHATTAN — The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present the first exhibition in the West of artwork from the ancient Korean Silla kingdom.
Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom — which features more than 130 objects, including a gilt-bronze bodhisattva, and gold and jade crown — will be at the Special Exhibition Gallery from Nov. 4 through Feb. 23, 2014.
"It is a rare opportunity to experience the visual splendor of the Silla kingdom in the first exhibition in the West devoted to the subject," said Thomas P. Campbell, the Met's director and CEO, in a statement. "These stunning works of art are rich in beauty and history, extending back to the first millennium and to a kingdom largely unknown to our audiences. Their story will be a revelation to the public."
The artwork was created between 400 to 800 AD, from the rise of the Silla kingdom to its domination of the Korean peninsula.
The kingdom became an important trading stop along the Silk Road, and its artworks feature imagery from places like China and Persia because of exchanges on the trade route.
The exhibition was organized by the Met, the National Museum of Korea and the Gyeongju National Museum in Korea.
