Rare Joseon-era moon jar, Park Soo-keun painting to go on display before Christie's NY auction

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Sat, September 30, 2023 | 05:22

Theater & Others

Rare Joseon-era moon jar, Park Soo-keun painting to go on display before Christie's NY auction

Posted : 2023-02-14 10:59

Updated : 2023-02-15 10:58

An 18th-century white-glazed moon jar from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom / Courtesy of Christie's Korea

By Park Han-sol

Leading auction house Christie's is set to exhibit 10 major Korean antiques and pre-modern works of art ― including a rare Joseon-era moon jar ― at its Seoul outpost next week before they are put up for auction in New York in March.

One of the highlights of the three-day preview, which will take place from Feb. 22 to 24 at Christie's Korea in central Seoul, is an 18th-century white-glazed moon jar produced during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom.

The auction house deemed the piece to be "the most outstanding porcelain of its kind to go under the hammer in the last decade," according to its statement released on Wednesday.

The voluminous, moon-like pottery, previously owned by a Japanese collector, is considered rare for maintaining its pristine condition without signs of repair. It is more than 45 centimeters tall, making it larger than a majority of other moon jars traded in the art market. The ceramic jar is expected to fetch around $1 million to $2 million.

Park Soo-keun's "Three Seated Women" (1962) / Courtesy of Christie's Korea

Joseon-era court painter Jeong Seon's (1676-1759) "The Eight Views of Mount Geumgang" will be another centerpiece of the show. The four-panel folding screen consists of eight images depicting the scenic vista surrounding the mountain in present-day North Korea, and is estimated to be worth between $150,000 and $200,000.

Korean modern art master Park Soo-keun's (1914-65) "Three Seated Women" will also be up for auction.

Park's signature style ― gritty and rugged texture, restrained use of bright colors and simple compositions ― gave life to paintings that captured, without pretense, the lives of Korean people surviving in a battle-scarred land after the 1950-53 Korean War.

The piece, which has been unveiled for the first time since it was purchased in Korea by a European collector in 1962, is valued between $400,000 and $600,000.

The New York auction will take place on March 21 (local time) at Christie's Rockefeller Center.

hansolp@koreatimes.co.kr