Collection Online as of June 2, 2023

Kim Yoon-bo 김윤보

(Korean, 1865–1938)

(1392-1910)

Ten-panel folding screen; ink and color on silk

Painting: 98.3 x 307.3 cm (38 11/16 x 121 in.); Overall framed: 210.2 x 325.5 cm (82 3/4 x 128 1/8 in.)

Partial purchase from the Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund and partial gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll, KM, and Roberta Carroll, M.D. 2022.141

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

By the end of the 1800s, Pyongyang, now the capital of North Korea, was nicknamed the “Jerusalem of the East” for its high Christian population.

Description

Today Pyongyang is better known as the capital of North Korea, one of the world’s most oppressive regimes. But during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) the city was largely famous for three things: good local government, economic stability, and talented entertainers. Thus, the king's favored senior court officials were often appointed to Pyongyang's governor prior to their full retirement.

Painted by Kim Yoon-bo, native to Pyongyang, this folding screen provides us with a better understanding of the late 19th-century Korean landscape paintings characteristics with topographic accuracy without losing the sophistication of calligraphic brushwork.

Inscriptions

Inscription Translation

"Giseong’s Ancient Painting or Map"

Inscription Remark

The upper left corner of the last panel bears an inscription with the title of the work, the artist’s signature, and his seal. "Giseong" is the old name for Pyongyang.

Provenance

March 21, 2018

(Bonhams New York, NY, 21 March 2018 sale, lot 2293, sold to Joseph P. and Roberta L. Carroll)

2018–2022

(The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Prof. Roberta L. Carroll, MD, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

2022–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Son, Myeonghee. "Pre-modern and Modern Pyongyang as Represented in Joseon-Period Maps and Paintings [조선시대 평양성도를 통해 본 평양의 모습과 지역적 성격]." Hanguk gojido yeongu no. 1 (2009): 63-84. www.kci.go.kr

Bonham's New York. Fine Japanese and Korean Art. 21 March 2018. Lot no. 2293. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 135, lot no. 2293

Kim, Mi-jung and So, Hyun-su. "A Study on the Characteristics of Humanistic Landscape in Pyongyang Castle through Pictorial Maps in the Late Joseon Dynasty [조선후기 회화식 고지도를 통해 본 평양성의 인문경관 특성]." Journal of Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture 38, no. 2 (2020): 14-30. www.kci.go.kr

Exhibition history

Mountains and Rivers Beyond the DMZ – Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 21-July 21, 2019).

The Cleveland Museum of Art