Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (179)

Geese and Reeds Painting (Noando) mounted on luxurious gold silk by Yang Ki Hun aka Seokyeon (1843-1897) from Pyeongyang, signed Seokyeon. Yang Ki Hun's signature 'boneless' style (painting without outlines, using ink washes) beautifully captures light and shade. The literal meaning of 'noando' is reed and geese painting, but it is a play on words, as 'no' means both reed and old, and 'an' means both geese and comfort ('do' means painting). So 'noan' can mean 'reed and geese' or 'old comfort', and so a painting of geese and reeds symbolized a wish for a comfortable and peaceful old age. This particular painting has further meaning because it depicts two pair of geese. Geese were believed to mate for life, so this painting symbolizes eternal love, and the wish for a couple to grow old together in peace and comfort. Yang Ki Hun was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting in the 19th Century. He made a living by painting for the king and his court, and also by selling his paintings in Pyeongyang. Here are two great quotes from Yang Ki Hun's contemporary, the painter and calligrapher Chi Un Yeong (aka Paekryeon): "Yang Ki Hun's paintings stir up my jealousy because they seem completely freed from all ideas and restraints". And after Seokyeon (Yang Ki Hun) passed away, Chi Un Yeong wrote, "Seokyeon told me that when he stayed on Neungna Island for a few years some time ago, he often saw geese fly in and land on a reed field, so he was able to paint them in a realistic way. His words still linger vividly in my ears. I remember playing with him thirty years ago in the Taedong River, and it seems so far away and dream-like." Ink on paper. Silk Mounting: 67 x 16.5 inches, 170 x 42 cm; Painting: 48.75 x 12 inches, 124 x 30.5 cm. The third photo here shows the market price for Yang Ki Hun paintings, which is much higher than the attractive price at which we are offering this fine painting.

Rare and Collectible Small Wood Document Box. This rare type of box is highly valued by collectors. This is a fine and elegant example. 17 x 8.5 x 2.25 inches, 43 x 21.5 x 5.75 cm.

19th Century Korean Sword with missing scabbard. Condition is good but slightly shaky. Overall length is 35 inches (89cm), blade is 26 inches (66cm).

You rarely see 19th Century Korean tiger paintings offered for sale anymore, especially in excellent condition like this one. The last time we had one was 15 years ago, and it will probably be at least that long until have another one to offer. When they do come up in auctions now, they sell for five figures. That's because there is nothing anywhere like Joseon Era Korean tiger folk paintings. Tigers in Korean paintings are not ferocious. They are humorous and full of personality. And each one is unique, like this fellow here with his quizzical and lovable face as he is being addressed by the magpies. This was a favorite symbol of the common folks and represented the people speaking truth to power. The pine tree is a symbol of longevity and wisdom. The azaleas symbolize beauty. This painting is very "Korean." It is painted in ink and colors on traditional and old hanji paper. Korean tiger folk paintings are never signed. Frame: 45 x 29 inches (114 x 74 cm), Painting: 38 x 22 inches (97 x 56 cm).

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.

19th Century Chinese Personal Dining Table with Beautiful Grain and Color, and a Rare and Elegant Form. The original natural oil finish has been buffed to a clear beautiful shine over many decades of buffing and cleaning, and is so much more attractive than the waxy chemical finishes on today's furniture. 22 x 14 x 5 inches, 56 x 35.5 x 12.5 cm.

Burmese Bronze Buddha with Movable Left Hand. 16.5 inches, 42 cm.

Pair of 19th Century Korean Hunting Paintings. Unique to Korea, hunting paintings always depict hunters in Mongolian attire. Koreans had great admiration for Mongolian archery and equestrian skills. Ink and colors on paper. Frame: 46 x 22 inches (171 x 56 cm), 34 x 16 inches (86 x 41 cm).

Very Fine and Rare Silver Inlaid Iron Brazier (a source of heating and light), hexagonal shape, beautifully rendered and in excellent condition. Each protuberant side is decorated with a keyfret-bordered roundel enclosing six different works of art: a crane and sea turtle in beautifully stylized clouds and waves beneath a silvery moon (symbols of longevity); one of the Eight Buddhist Emblems of an oversized conch shell; a leafy floral design symbolizing abundance; a leafy branch of pomegranates whose many seeds symbolize fertility; another leafy floral branch; and a deer couple at rest beneath a wonderfully curving pine tree that encircles and protects this gorgeous, idyllic scene blessed with symbolism of a long, healthy, happy and peaceful life filled with love. Each roundel is surrounded by a cell diaper pattern with a keyfret border on each side of the brazier. The decorated waisted neck supports a flat everted hexagonal rim decorated with a floral vignette on a cell diaper ground and a keyfret border, all resting on a keyfret-bordered base with six bracket feet decorated with lotus flowers and scrolls. The lotus is a Buddhist symbol of purity, because it rises above the muck to the surface of the pond to show its face to the sun, symbolizing hope and redemption. Height: 6.5 inches, 16.5 cm; Width: 8 inches, 20 cm.

Fine 19th Century Korean Royal Court Painting of Children at Play. This genre of Korean paintings always displays children playing in imaginary Chinese court costumes, and is called Baekdongja-do in Korean. From the ground-breaking Auspicious Spirits, Korean Folk Paintings exhibition catalogue: "Depicting the children as court nobility expressed an auspicious desire that one's own children achieve success in life." This exceptional example was displayed in the room of a wife in the Korean royal court to inspire her to become pregnant and to have healthy, playful, and successful children. It was also displayed on the first birthday of each child. Ink and colors on silk. 40 x 14.5 inches, 101.5 x 37 cm.

A Rare Tour-de-Force Masterpiece Ten-Panel Painting by the Renowned 19th Century Korean Royal Court Artist Yang Ki Hun aka Sukyeon (1843-1898). This is the first Yang Ki Hun screen painting offered for sale outside of Korea in many years, and it is arguably the best of them. We have here the most renowned of the 19th Century Korean royal court painters demonstrating his mastery and artistry in all of the most revered scholar's motifs. The few other screens of his we have seen in the market over the years were limited to one motif for the entire screen. Each of the ten paintings in this screen is a different motif, but the master brings unity to the entire composition as well with a consistent visual flow that naturally leads the eye from one masterpiece painting to the next. These paintings are unmounted and ready to be framed or mounted onto a screen or rolled up, stored and conserved for their artistic, historical, and cultural value. Each painting is 48.5 x 11.5 inches (123.5 x 29 cm). Ink on paper. The fourth photo here shows the market price for individual Yang Ki Hun paintings and should give you an idea of how very attractive the price is on this set of ten paintings.

Geese and Reeds Painting (Noando) on fine silk mounted on luxurious gold silk by Yang Ki Hun aka Seokyeon (1843-1897) from Pyeongyang, signed Seokyeon. Yang Ki Hun's signature 'boneless' style (painting without outlines, using ink washes) beautifully captures light and shade. The literal meaning of 'noando' is reed and geese painting, but it is a play on words, as 'no' means both reed and old, and 'an' means both geese and comfort ('do' means painting). So 'noan' can mean 'reed and geese' or 'old comfort', and so a painting of geese and reeds symbolized a wish for a comfortable and peaceful old age. This particular painting has further meaning because it depicts two pair of geese. Geese were believed to mate for life, so this painting symbolizes eternal love, and the wish for a couple to grow old together in peace and comfort. Yang Ki Hun was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting in the 19th Century. He made a living by painting for the king and his court, and also by selling his paintings in Pyeongyang. Here are two great quotes from Yang Ki Hun's contemporary, the painter and calligrapher Chi Un Yeong (aka Paekryeon): "Yang Ki Hun's paintings stir up my jealousy because they seem completely freed from all ideas and restraints". And after Seokyeon (Yang Ki Hun) passed away, Chi Un Yeong wrote, "Seokyeon told me that when he stayed on Neungna Island for a few years some time ago, he often saw geese fly in and land on a reed field, so he was able to paint them in a realistic way. His words still linger vividly in my ears. I remember playing with him thirty years ago in the Taedong River, and it seems so far away and dream-like." Ink on paper. Silk Mounting: 76 x 19.5 inches, 193 x 49.5 cm; Painting: 44 x 14 inches, 112 x 35.5 cm. The fifth photo here shows the market price for Yang Ki Hun paintings, which is much higher than the attractive price at which we are offering this fine painting.

Rare Antique Korean Funerary Figure (Kkokdu) with much of its original pigment still intact. From a renowned and published New York collection. One of the finer examples we have seen. 11.5 inches, 29.5 cm.

This exemplary work of 19th Century Korean folk art is sculpted in and painted on wood and metal and features the two most revered mythical creatures in Korea: The Yellow Dragon and The Blue Dragon. This creative composition has a patron couple who seem to have the dragons' tails coming out of them. The Dragon brings rain, blessings, and life. The Yellow Dragon writhes dynamically and shows its face at the top of this piece, while The Blue Dragon offers a foundation to the composition and makes its presence known with a single all-seeing eye protruding through the bottom. In ancient Korean cosmology, The Yellow Dragon rules from the center of the sky. Korean emperors chose from ancient times the symbol of The Yellow Dragon to represent the royal family. The Blue Dragon is the color of the sky and the sea and symbolizes the power of both. Farmers prayed to the Dragon for rain and fishermen prayed to him for a good catch, while fishermen's wives asked the Dragon to bring their husbands home safely. The Yellow Dragon and The Blue Dragon have been paired for millennia, with a wonderful example on the 7th century tomb of King Muyeol (reign 654-661). This tradition was continued by the 19th century owner of this sublime example with a string in the back for hanging and displaying in order to repel evil spirits while bringing blessings to the home. 20.25 x 14.25 inches, 51.5 x 36 cm.

Fine, Rare Eight-Panel Painting by Revered Korean Artist Kim Eung Won aka Soho (1855-1921). Similar to the Kim Eung Won screen in the royal Changdeok Palace. 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 of the only other Kim Eung Won screen offered for sale. The "sale" price is more than double the price we are asking here. This is the only Kim Eung Won eight-panel painting we have ever offered in our 18 years in business. Ink on paper. 54 x 14 inches, 137.5 x 35.5 cm unmounted. (A much smaller and single Daewongun painting sold at Christie's for $12,500 on March 18, 2014).

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.

Rare Antique Korean Spirit Shrine Painting (Kam Mo Yo Je Do). Spirit House Paintings are in the collections of several major museums. This painting would have been placed in a place of reverence in the home, and on the anniversary of an ancestor's death, a slip of paper with the ancestor's name would be placed on the blank space in the open doorway of the shrine in the painting and a ritual would have been performed in front of the painting. Kammo means 'to adore with deep emotion' and Yoje means 'to respectfully address the spirits as if they were at the ceremony', and Do means 'painting'. Ink on paper. Frame: 37.5 x 27 inches, 95 x 68.5 cm; Painting: 31 x 21 inches, 79 x 53.5 cm.

Fine, Rare Joseon Dynasty Silver Inlaid Box with ancient Longevity Symbols of Deer, Cranes, key fret pattern, floral and tortoise shell pattern. Double Happiness symbol on the lid. Beautiful Condition. 5.25 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches, 13.5 x 9 x9 cm.