Antique Korean Folk Painting of Mountain Spirit Joseon Dynasty

A Korean four-panel folding screen circa 1830s, from the late Joseon Dynasty. The painting depicts a vivid hunting scene on four vertical scroll panels mounted with brocade borders. The four panels are related to each other in narrative but not in an absolutely continuous fashion, therefore they could be viewed individually and independently, which was not uncommon in the screen paintings as they are meant to be folded and unfolded as needed. The pictures show a general on the far left panel seated on a low platform bed...

A large Korean Buddhist painting on silk framed in wood with an acrylic shadow box. The type of the painting is known in Korean as Sinjung T'aenghwa (Literally translated as Scroll-s...

A Korean Folk Art painting mounted as a hanging scroll. The watercolor on paper was likely dated from 1930s-1940s. The work depicts a "Jakhodo" theme (...

A Korean folk painting watercolor on linen (silk) with a cloth mat and walnut wood frame. The work is in the shamanistic style and depicts the Tao...

Anonymous. Korean, 17th century. Joseon period. Hanging scroll. Ink on paper. Seal: Shinso Dimensions: Scroll: H. 200 cm x W. 31 cm (79” x 12”) Image: H. 122 cm x W. 29.5 cm (48” x 11.5”) The grapevine came to China and then Korea from western Asia via the silk road trade routes. By the mid-Joseon period, it was one of the most popular subjects for Korean literati painters. Grapevines were painted as a singular subject or, less commonly, in combination with squirrels, which are associated with children due to their playful nature. Together, grapevines and squirrels embody wishes for abundant offspring and wealth. For the Korean literati artist the twisting vines, curling tendrils and round, plump grapes provided ample opportunity for expressive "brush play”. In this painting the artist has abstracted the scene and is seemingly unconcerned with discontinuities and proportion. Vines spring up from nowhere, grapes hang in random clusters and the squirrel’s head appears as if twisted backwards. For the vines and leaves we can feel a sense of speed in the brushstrokes, imparting a dynamic feel which is at once intense and animated. This contrasts dramatically with the countless tiny strokes of ink which realistically capture the texture of the squirrel’s fur...

Antique pair of Qing dynasty ancestor portraits depicting a male and a female. Hand painted on silk and framed under glass within a large te...

An antique Indian hand-painted folk art painting depicting six maidens and a musician. Introducing an enchanting piece of Indian heritage, an antique folk art painting...

Korean Minhwa Spotted Leopard Snarling Magpie and another Magpie flying in the pine tree Minhwa, Korean folk paintings, portray the simple and unaffecte...