Showrooms

Framed Korean Folk Painting of General Guan Gong

Offered by: Tishu

Description
A Korean folk Shamanism watercolor on textile matted with woven brocade and presented in a wood frame with an oriental style metal hanging hardware. The painting was estimated to be from early 20th century circa 1910-1930s. It depicts Guan Yu (160-220AD), a legendary Chinese warrior and general from Eastern Han Dynasty. Long worshiped in China as a deity, across all three major religions, Guan Gong was favored by the mass for his protective power and also as a symbol of heroism and righteousness. Regardless the religious context, he is characterized by his flowering long beard (one of his monikers is Gent with Beautiful Beard) and his battlefield weapon, a large knife-like blade. The cult spread to Korea peninsular in Ming Dynasty circa 16th century when China sent army to help Korea defeat the invasion of the Japanese. And it quickly became widely popular. Many temples (over 1000 in Korea today) were built to dedicate to him as a god and his image evolves locally to blend Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shamanism. This painting on offer was done in a classic Korean shamanistic style. In a "trinity" composition, Guan Yu is in the middle holding his long beard and a book, Liu Bei the Lord to the right, and Zhang Fei, another legendary hero on the left holding the weapon for him. Note their stylized expressive facial features and as well as bright color preference. It was most likely displayed in the house as a protective talisman.
A very similar but later painting on paper was in the collection of National Folk Museum of Korea no. 072672. (shown in the last picture).

More Information

Origin:	South Korea
Period:	1900-1919
Materials:	silk, brocade, wood frame
Condition:	Good. Fine antique condition with vivid colors. Light surface wear and faint discoloration on the brocade border as expected. Frame is old and with age-related wear. Backing paper has wears, label residues and small puncture marks.
Creation Date:	1910-30s
Styles / Movements:	Folk Art, Asian Art
Incollect Reference #:	544144

Dimensions

W.	22.2 in;	H.	36.5 in;	D.	1 in;
W.	56.39 cm;	H.	92.71 cm;	D.	2.54 cm;

Message from Seller:

Our collection ranges from Neolithic Art to 20th century collectible art and design. It spans 5000 thousand years of history and crosses many civilizations and cultures. Our aesthetic strongholds are Mid-century studio design, Japanese and Korean art, Asian Textile Art and Contemporary Aboriginal Art. The diversity is united behind our singular vision to seek for timeless beauty and driven purely by our passion