Catalog (335)

Korean Village Life, a Beautiful Oil Painting by Won Hyeok Pak, 1966, original frame. It comes with a 1966 letter to one of his patrons, where he explains his artistic ideas. He includes a photo of this painting with the letter, and a photo of a portrait he created of the patron, and photos of some of his other paintings. A rare and gorgeous piece of mid-20th Century Korean art and history. It captures a way of life and type of dress at a time that it was at its very end. Frame: 20 x 16 inches, 51 x 41 cm; 15 x 11, 38 x 28 cm.

A Fine and Old Painting of Dokseong, Korea's Hermit Saint in a most beautiful landscape. This gorgeous painting has a phenomenal dark patina that could only have developed through years of ritual use and adds greatly to the contemplative beauty and serenity of this very special work of art. Dokseong is pictured in an inspiring remote mountain forest, a Daoist style landscape where he seeks solitude and self-cultivation. His attire is that of a Buddhist monk. He is revered by Buddhists and Shamans. Paintings of Dokseong are the most constant companions of Sansin (Mountain God) paintings in the Sansin-gak Shrine of Buddhist temples in Korea. Some temples even give Dokseong his own shrine, the Dokseong-gak. There is an old inscription at the bottom of the painting. Frame: 34.75 x 26 inches (88 x 66 cm), Painting: 29.75 x 21 inches (75.5 x 53.5 cm).

Kukpa Mask from Sherdukpen, Arunachal Pradesh, collected by Eric Chazot, 7.5 inches, 19 cm.

This spectacular and truly one-of-a kind telephone was not only crafted by what was Korea's premier lacquer and mother-of-pearl company in the mid 20th Century (Kimpo Chilgi Gongyaesa), this is the one-off deluxe telephone that they made for themselves to use in their own office, so they put everything into this phone, and there really is no other like it. The label, like the rest of the telephone , is in remarkable condition, so you can still read the company name and telephone number on the label. The phone actually works, and it spins on the stand like a lazy susan. This is a grand and beautiful piece of Korean history. 11.5w x 7.5h inches, 29w x 19 cm.

Large 19th Century Korean Sharkskin Jang Geom Sword with Silver Overlay. The scabbard is covered in sharkskin and lacquered black over that. The handle is very interesting and is covered in sharkskin underneath the heavy leather wrapping, and over the sharkskin there is a thick brass foil that is hammered to look like sharkskin. This is a unique technique. The end fitting is missing. The crossguard is shaky because there are a few washers missing from the sword. The blade goes all the way in the scabbard tightly but is off-center by about half an inch. 61.5 inches, 155 cm.

Prominently displayed on the wall of the Sejong Room of Korea's Presidential Residence (The Blue House) is a painting by Lim Ok Sang (born 1950). The painting here from 2019 is large at 50 x 49 inches (127 x 124.5 cm), and the beautiful frame chosen by the artist is 56.5 x 55.5 inches (143.5 x 141 cm). Two similar examples of paintings in ink and soil can be seen in the catalogue of Lim Ok Sang's retrospective exhibition currently at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. Lim Ok Sang (born 1950) graduated from École d’art d’Angoulême, Angoulême in France and taught for ten years at Jeonju University. He has had numerous solo exhibitions in Korea and America, and has been featured in many international shows, including the Venice Biennale. His work is in the collections of the Korea National Museum, Seoul Museum of Art, Samsung Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and other major museums. Lim Ok Sang is celebrated as one of the leading artists of the Minjung movement in Korea. He was one of the founders of the important critical journal, Reality and Utterance, that coincided with the beginning of the Minjung movement. Lim is an artist adept at poignant expression of the nature of mortality, the vulnerability and plight of the individual and humanity. The emphasis of his work has been not only to speak out against injustice and the forces of destruction, but to make one aware of the value of life and the importance of preserving and caring for the environment in which we live.

Large Prehistoric Bronze Age Korean Arrowhead of a scarce type and size illustrated in the catalogue: The 29th United Association of the University Museums of Korea Exhibition - Korea's Bow and Arrow. There are also similar examples of early Korean arrowheads in the December 1934 Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 1500 - 300 BCE. 6 inches (15 cm).

Very Large Antique Wooden Joseon Dynasty Korean Wedding Goose inscribed with the year 1892. A similar but slightly smaller one recently sold at auction in Korea for $22,520 plus commission, for a total of $25,000! A photo of that auction result is the last photo here in this post. This is a grand piece of Korean folk art. This wooden goose was a gift from a Korean groom to a bride nearly 200 years ago, and is the largest and most beautifully rendered example we have ever seen. Because geese mate for life, the goose was a symbol of the groom's lifelong commitment to his bride. 28h x 35d x 13w inches, 71h x 89d x 33w cm.

Large Artist's Proof of Munjado Calligraphy by the Famous Kim Ki Chang aka Unbo (1913 - 2001). Despite being deaf, Unbo was one of Korea's most beloved 20th Century artists. His works are now sought by museums and collectors internationally. This is the original signed AP (Artist's Proof) of this large lithograph, where Unbo gives us a most creative rendering with anthropomorphic figures in the ancient style of figurative munjado calligraphy. 38.5 x 28.5 inches, 98 x 72.5 cm.

Early 20th Century Large Black-Lacquered Mother-of-Pearl Box, in fair condition with much loss of the mother-of-pearl. The brass hardware is old but is not original. 31.5 x 18.5 x 16.5 inches, 80 x 47 x 42 cm.

Large Buncheong Vase by Yoon Ja Eui 20h x 13w 13.5d inches, 50h x 33w x 34d cm.

Large Burmese Guardian Figure Wood Sculpture of an Overseer. Purchased in Barani, New Delhi in 1995. 27.5 inches, 70 cm. 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.

Large Horse Head Festival Mask from Orissa, an area of India renowned for centuries for its fine sculpture. A beautiful, colorful and large example, 2 feet (61cm) in height. 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.

Joseon Dynasty Ton-kwe (Korean Coin Chest). Coin chests are highly prized by collectors, as their purpose required that they be the largest, heaviest, and most well constructed piece of furniture in the home of an aristocrat. Paper money did not exist in Yi Dynasty Korea, and the coins were of very small denominations. They had to be strung together in large quantities to have any worth, so a strong money box was obviously a necessity. This is a very heavy and likely the most impressive authentic antique Korean coin chest you will ever see for sale. This massive and handsome coin chest must have belonged to a very wealthy family. 19.5 x 56 x 29 inches, 49.5 x 142 x 74 cm.

Large Korean Antique Lacquered Sword with Painted Dragons. 58.5 inches, 148.5 cm.

Just about every major museum in the world with a Korean gallery collects the work of Young Sook Park. And now you have a rare opportunity to acquire one of her beautiful masterworks for much less than the gallery prices. Width: 21 inches (53 cm), Height: 4.5 inches (11.5 cm).

16h x 14w inches, 40.5 x 30.5 cm. Lee Heyung Bok has been featured on the covers of Korean art publications Ceramic Art Monthly and Craft & Art Review.

15 x 15 inches, 38 x 38 cm. Lee Heyung Bok has been featured on the covers of Korean art publications Ceramic Art Monthly and Craft & Art Review.