Museum Unveils Additional Volumes Covering Historical Records, Buddhist Sculptures, Wood and Lacquer Crafts, and Stone Sculptures

Courtesy of NMK

In April 2021, over 23,000 artworks from the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee's personal collection were donated to major state-run museums in Korea to settle an inheritance tax bill.

The National Museum of Korea (NMK) received the largest share, totaling 21,693 cultural assets, spanning earthenware, ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts, calligraphy, paintings, wooden furniture, and stone sculptures from the Neolithic Age to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

▲ Four newly published catalogs of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s extensive art trove donated to the National Museum of Korea in April 2021 / Courtesy of NMK

To comprehensively document this extensive collection, the museum previously published nine catalogs under the series "The Lee Kun-hee Collection at the National Museum of Korea" in the past year.

This week, NMK announced the release of four additional volumes focusing on historical records, Buddhist sculptures, wood and lacquer crafts, and stone sculptures. The historical documents volume features 180 pieces, including the rediscovered 19th-century jade investiture book thought to be lost during the 1866 French invasion of Korea.

▲ Pages from the NMK's volume on donated Buddhist sculptures feature the state-designated national treasure of Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva Triad / Courtesy of NMKThe Buddhist sculptures volume showcases 135 ancient pieces from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon era, including state-designated national treasures like the Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva Triad.

The wood and lacquer crafts volume lists 592 items produced mainly during and after the 18th century, offering insights into daily life during the late Joseon period.

The stone sculptures volume includes 835 monuments spanning over a millennium, featuring pagodas, stupas, statuettes, and totem poles.

NMK plans to release four more catalogs on Lee's collection of calligraphy, paintings, and white porcelains by 2025, bringing the total to 17. All publications are accessible on the museum's website.

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Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com