Daintiness of Korean art
.jpg?w=728)
National Treasure No. 95 “Celadon Incense Burner” from the Goryeo Kingdom / Courtesy of National Museum of Korea
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The aesthetic value of Korean traditional craft is generally found in the simplicity of its design and the practical purposes it is made for, but Koreans also have delicate hands to add elaborate details onto craftworks.
A special exhibit "Exquisite and Precious: The Splendor of Korean Art" at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Seoul, provides a rare opportunity to give a look into the exquisite handiworks of Korean master artisans.
The title of the exhibition
“Exquisite and Precious”
came from a Chinese envoy's phrase praising during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) era. Xu Jing, an envoy from China’s Song dynasty, said "Goryeo's mother-of-pearl inlay techniques are so exquisite that they are truly precious," according to the 1123 book "Illustrated Record of the Chinese Embassy to the Goryeo Court in the Xuanhe Era."
Celadon Ewer from the Goryeo Kingdom / Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum
Leeum's previous exhibit "Opulence: Treasures of Korean Traditional Craft" shed light on the decorative side of Korean traditional art in 2013 and the private museum expanded its attempt to give attention to an often-neglected side of Korean craftwork.
This exhibit features some 140 pieces of Korea's most cherished craftwork, including 21 National Treasures and 26 Treasures. Leeum prepared for the exhibit over four years, renting over 40 treasures from the top art institutions across the globe, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.
Instead of categorizing the treasures in chronological order, Leeum classified them based on artistic component of each artifact
"Pattern: Magnificence and Precision," "Form: Elegance and Craftsmanship" and "Brushwork: Creativity and Command."
“Perfect Enlightenment Sutra Illumination” /Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Precise patterns
The exhibit begins with the “Celadon Ewer with lotus pattern” from the 13th century Goryeo. The 32-centimeter-tall gourd-shaped bottle has a surprising amount of details from delicate lotus petals engraved on the bottle inlaid with red pigment to a young boy-shaped adornment on its neck. A frog is sculpted on the handle.
There are only three of such celadon ewers left around the world and two of them are currently on display, including the one borrowed from the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.
The complex decorative patterns are found in Korean craftworks throughout history from the Bronze Age to the 19th century. The gold crown from Gaya Kingdom (43-532) and golden earrings from the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) and Baekje Kingdom (B.C. 18-A.D. 660) showcase the highest perfection of metalwork.
“Falcon on a Perch” by Yi Am / Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
A pair of gilt bronze candlesticks with embedded crystals is an example of workmanship of Korean craftsmen because it consists of several parts of a stick and dishes.
Inlaying technique is another characteristic of Korean artwork that became evident during the Goryeo Kingdom.
"Goryeo achieved economic stability and became culturally advanced. The upper class enjoyed and supported culture, resulting in high quality craftwork. However, it doesn't just come from large sums of money, but from a discerning eye in art," Leeum curator Lee Seung-hye said. "The predominant culture during Goryeo was Buddhism, which also influence the opulence of handicraft, unlike Neo-Confucianism, which emphasizes modesty and dominated the Joseon Kingdom."
“Fisherman and Woodcutter in Conversation” / Courtesy of Kansong Art Museum
The Sutra Boxes from Goryeo era is a collection of highly praised craft skills of lacquerware and mother-of-pearl. The exquisite arabesque patterns are inlaid with mother-of-pearl, raising the quality of wooden boxes to the level of finest handicraft.
"At least five artisans are required to make lacquerwork inlaid with mother-of-pearl
a carpenter to do the woodwork, the person who collects sap of the lacquer tree, the person who refines the sap, the person who varnishes with lacquer and the artisan who inlays mother-of-pearl on wood," Lee explained.
There are only eight of the boxes left across the globe and six of them are currently on display at Leeum. Many of them share similar shapes and patterns, as the Goryeo government established a department in charge of the craft, regulating the creation of the sutra boxes due to the popularity of the lacquerware.
Korean ceramics including the famous Goryeo celadon known for its jade color are also on display. The Tile from the seventh century Baekje Kingdom is considered the first landscape of Korea with mountains and a temple.
'Portrait of Oh Jae-sun' by Yi Myeong-gi from the Joseon Kingdom / Courtesy of Leeum
Elegant forms
The second section of the exhibit celebrates the handmade shapes of Korean craft. Some of the works dealt with glorified Buddhist saints, while others focused on practicality.
The Buddhist statues were first made with clay and then transferred to a mold for casting into bronze. The sculptors showed their finest handiwork, creating balanced body proportions and graceful gestures.
Meanwhile, hand-thrown ceramics offered visual delight for aspects of everyday life.
"Most of the shapes took inspiration from nature and some combined imagination and reality," Lee said. "Water dropper and brush stand are a part of stationery, which are everyday objects for scholars. The unique shapes add liveliness to the desk set."
Among them, a blue-and-white porcelain water dropper from 19th century Joseon catches the eye. It describes the peaks of the Geumgangsan Mountain, completed with a pavilion on the top. Back then, the mountain was one of the top tourist destinations and having a mountain-shaped water dropper must have caught the eyes of scholars.
Sutra Box from the Goryeo Kingdom / Courtesy of British Museum
Creative brushwork
The final part features the finest of Korean traditional paintings from Buddhist paintings to portraits.
The Buddhist paintings come in a variety of techniques. In the Goryeo Kingdom, most of the Buddhist paintings were colored on silk, but a rare Amitabha from the late 14th century is embroidered on silk with fine details. Some of the sutra are painted with gold pigments on indigo paper, maximizing the splendor.
The portraits from Joseon Kingdom are known for its realistic description of details, including facial hair and wrinkles.
“The portrait of Chae Je-gong, dating back to 1792, has a unique aspect. King Jeongjo ordered court painter Yi Myeong-gi to draw this portrait to commemorate Chae’s service to the government,” Lee explained. “The pose in most Joseon portraits are standardized and the hands are hidden in sleeves. However, this portrait has Chae's hands out because he had to hold the fan and perfumed sachet, which were gifted by the king.”
Also on display are royal procession paintings from Joseon Kingdom, which give a glimpse of royal parades during the era.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 13. Admission is 8,000 won for adults. English audio guide is available. For more information, visit www.leeum.org or call (02) 2014-6901.