Catalog (321)

Zen Painting of Crane Under Moon by the Famous Korean Jeju Island Monk, Ko Chang Nyul aka Jung Kwang Sunim aka the Mad Monk (1935-2002). Mounted on a beautiful midnight blue silk scroll. The third photo here is from a prominent dealer's "sale" going on right now on Jung Kwang paintings, where you will see the prices are several times higher than mine. This other gallery has been in business for over forty years and has sold to many of the major museums. A google search of Jung Kwang Mad Monk will reveal the fascinating life of this character, and you'll find this movie about him (http://www.piff.org/eng/html/archive/arc_search_view.asp?idx=1314&target=search&c_idx=18&m_entry_year=2002) and this exhibition at the Seoul Art Center (http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20110807000244) and this book (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mad-Monk-Paintings-Lancaster-Miller/dp/0895810174) and more. He and his work have been featured on CNN, PBS, NHK, and other major broadcasters. He was a famous monk, artist, poet, and actor. His unique paintings are instantly recognizable by their zen approach to form and color. Please look closely at this painting to get a sense of the spiritual quality of the artist's brushwork. The crane is an ancient symbol of longevity. It has further symbolic meaning in Buddhism. The bodhisattvas change themselves into cranes so that they can fly all over the world visiting and helping people. The moon is also an ancient symbol of longevity in Korea. The buyer of this fine painting will receive a PDF file compilation of Jung Kwang Sunim's poems, and a bio. You'll laugh and cry when you read "Zen Poems 1". The recent exhibition of Jung Kwang Sunim's work at the Zen Buddhist Temple in New York City was the most highly-attended exhibition ever presented by the Korean Art Society. At that exhibition, Jung Kwang Sunim's works of similar size and quality sold for multiples of the prices we are asking here. The fourth photo here shows a wall label from that exhibition with a price of $2500 for a painting of similar style and slightly smaller size by Jung Kwang Sunim. Ink and color on paper. Silk Scroll: 43 x 19.5 inches (109 x 49.5 cm), Painting: 24.5 x 13 inches (62 x 33 cm).

Rare 18th Century Burmese Wood Doll with Leather Skirt, Articulated Arms, and Painted Leather Hat Acquired by Irwin Hersey from Ohly's of London in 1976. 10 inches, 25.5 inches. From the collection of Irwin Hersey, renowned author on Asian and primitive art, and publisher of the Primitive Art Newsletter in the 1970s. Irwin Hersey was an advisor to museums and prominent collectors, and vetted pieces for many of the international tribal art fairs and Asian art fairs.

Rare 19th Century Korean Antique Men's Mirror Box of High Quality Zelkova and Burl Wood. 10 x 8 x 6 inches, 25 x 20 x 15 cm.

Roe Kyung Jo (born 1951) is one of the most well-known of Korean contemporary ceramic artists, renowned for his mastery of the thousand-year-old yeollimun technique of marbleized ceramics. This beautiful bottle is a fine example. Studies on Roe's works have been published in a variety of international scholarly publications. His pieces are in the permanent collections of many museums, including the British Museum the Asian art Museum, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others, and has been exhibited at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Yale University Art Gallery, Freer/Sackler Gallery of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Harvard University Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Saint Louis Museum of Art, Newark Museum, American Craft Museum, Portland Art Museum, Society for Contemporary Crafts, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Vancouver Art Museum, Royal Ontario Museum, and many others. 7.5 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches, 19 x 13.5 x 7 cm.

Passion of Korea 1. Bojagi Korean Textile Art by renowned textile artist Hae Hong Chang. Chang's acclaimed bojagi have been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. The Korean Art and Antiques website is the only online venue for her fine work. Made of ramie fabric. Hae Hong Chang is a Korea Bojagi Forum Recommended Artist. 14.5 x 12.5 inches, 37 x 32 cm.

Extremely Rare Set of Three Mumun Pots from the 3rd Century BCE from the Koejongdong site in Daejon near the Geum River. A similar example from the National Museum of Korea can be seen in Plate 34 in The Prehistory of Korea by Kim Jeong-hak. Prehistoric Korean pottery is so scarce outside of museums, that this is the only time we have ever acquired any. According to Professor Choi Jong-taek of Korea University, these everted lipped pots with their distinctive color and texture date from the period in Korea when the Bronze Age was giving way to the Iron Age, and the Mumun pottery period was ending with these types of pots with a greater hardness and fired at a higher temperature than previous Mumun pots, that is, about 300 BCE. This was a brief but very important transitional period into higher technology and culture in Korea, from the the end of the Mumun Pottery Period to the beginning of the Iron Age, so pieces from this defining period are rare. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a collector. Dimensions from tallest to shortest are: #1 - 4 inches height x 11.5 inches circumference (10 cm height x 29 cm circumference); #2 - 3.5 inches height x 14 inches circumference (9 cm height x 35.5 cm circumference); #3 - 3 inches height x 12.5 inches circumference (7.5 cm height x 32 cm circumference).

Exceedingly Scarce Set of Three Iron Age Korean Pots with Exquisite Color and Beautiful Form. 4th to 1st Century BC. You are unlikely to ever see another Iron Age Korean pot offered for sale, much less a set of three. The remaining examples are all in museums or tightly held private collections. These prehistoric pieces are finely potted and made from soft and sandy red clay. They are aesthetically striking in both color and form and are historically significant. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the scholar/collector/art lover. Right Pot Dimensions: 16.25 inches (41cm) circumference, 3.25 inches (8.5cm) height. Middle Pot Dimensions: 18.25 inches (46.5cm) circumference, 4 inches (10cm) height. Left Pot Dimensions: 12.5 inches (32cm) circumference, 2.75 inches (7cm) height.

Orchids and Rocks Painting by Kim Eung Won aka Soho (1855-1921). Orchids are an ancient Korean symbol of purity, modesty, and virtue. The rock symbolizes eternity, so the combination of orchids and rock have the meaning of eternal adherence to principle. The orchid grows in remote places, but its fragrance spreads over the land, just as the scholar often works in isolation, but through their scholarly and ethical works their influence is felt throughout the land. Talented painters of orchids were and still are held in the highest regard. Though Daewongun (Prince Yi Ha Eung) is often cited as the greatest painter of orchids, most scholars now agree it was Kim Eung Won who was creating many of the paintings for which Prince Daewongun took credit and which Daewongun signed. Daewongun was, of course, a great painter of orchids, but most agree now that Kim Eung Won may deserve the title of greatest. His paintings sell for a fraction of the price of Daewongun's paintings, at least for now. That can be expected to change as the general public catches up with the scholarship on the subject. The last photo here is from a sale at another gallery where the prices on similar paintings by Kim Eung Won are several times higher than the price we are asking here for this fine painting. Ink on paper. 54 x 14 inches, 137.5 x 35.5 cm unmounted. (A much smaller Daewongun painting sold at Christie's for $12,500 on March 18, 2014).

Rare Joseon Dynasty Small Inlaid Silver Iron Box with Gorgeous Floral Designs, with two compartments. A fine and one-of-a-kind 19th Century Korean collectible. 3.75 x 2.25 x 1.5 inches, 9.5 x 6 x 4 cm.

Scarce Joseon Dynasty Fish Form Silver Inlaid Iron Box Wonderfully Designed. The form and design are sublime and feature an exquisitely arranged silver inlaid face and fish scales. 6.5 x 2.25 x 1.25 inches, 16.5 x 6 x3 cm.

Early 20th Century Tibetan Thangka of Yellow Tara from a renowned and published collection. Very Good Condition. 30 x 22 inches, 76 x 56 cm.

Early 20th Century Tibetan Thangka of Unusual Garuda from a renowned and published collection. Very Good Condition. 27 x 20.5 inches, 69 x 52 cm.

Early 20th Century Tibetan Thangka of Mahakala and Consort from a renowned and published collection. Very Good Condition. 27 x 20.5 inches, 69 x 52 cm.

Early 20th Century Tibetan Thangka of Mahakala and Consort from a renowned and published collection. Very Good Condition. 28 x 21 inches, 71 x 53 cm.

Rare 19th Century Red Lacquered Korean Wedding Box. Red lacquered boxes were reserved by law for members of the royal court. 16 x 13 x 11 inches, 41 x 33 x 28 cm.

Rare 19th Century Korean Children's Headside Chest (Meorijang). This was placed at the head of the child's sleeping place. 32 x 20 x 20 inches, 81 x 51 x 51 cm.

Won Ju Seo's exhibition is featured in the December 3, 2015 New York Times, and she is featured in the Spring 2013 issue of Fiber Art Now, and in the recently-published McGraw-Hill fine arts textbook, Art Talk. The work offered here is Looking Through My Window by Won Ju Seo. 17 x 13 inches, 43 x 33 cm. Hand made with Korean silk, organza, and ramie. The work of Korean textile artist, Won Ju Seo, is in major museums and prominent collections. She is renowned for her modern approach to the bojagi, the traditional Korean wrapping cloth that has been the subject of many museum exhibitions lately. The superiority of her breath-taking technique is matched by the artistry of her designs and the creative beauty of her palette. The dazzling juxtaposed geometrics are inspired by and pay tribute to the anonymous women who created bojagi for hundreds of years, while the gorgeous colors of Won Ju Seo's palette are unique to her modern creations.

Exquisite Painted Bronze Qing Dynasty Chinese Guan Yin Bodhisattva of Compassion. Height: 4.75 inches (12 cm). From an important and published collection. Provenance available upon request.