Powerful kingdoms have ruled the Korean peninsula for millennia, creating luxurious art for the elite.
57 B.C.E. - present
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Water-Moon Avalokiteśvara
This exquisite example of a Goryeo Buddhist painting depicts the bodhisattva on his mountain-island abode.
Portrait of Sin Sukju
Sin Sukju’s attire and posture may be formulaic, but the face is definitely his—wrinkles and all.
Song Su-Nam, Summer Trees
In title and medium, Song’s contemporary ink-wash painting looks back to the poetic landscape tradition.
Gold and jade crown, Silla Kingdom
With its gold branches, this crown evokes a sacred tree. Jade ornaments represent fertility and abundance.