Rare Korean 8 panel screen depicting the life of a General.
This screen consists of eight individual painted panels
that describe the life and times of a general. Reading the panels from left to
right:
- First panel depicts a young General being honored by family,
servants and officials.
- Second panel shows the General victorious in
battle.
- In the third and most dramatic panel, the General appears to be riding
his horse through a dangerous landscape ablaze with fire.
- Fourth panel,
he defeats his enemies and protects the kingdom.
- Fifth panel depicts the departure of the General in spring.
- Sixth panel shows his retirement to the reclusive life at
a temple.
- Seventh panel shows eventual return to home at old age.
- The final panel shows the General as an old man returning to the land of the immortals at the Peach
Blossom Spring.
This
screen would have been shown in the men’s quarters of an important person. It can be
understood as a narrative describing the exploits of a daring and brave man.
This screen was loaned and displayed at the Honolulu Museum of Art for over 2 years. A well regarded museum since 1922 with extensive Asian Art collection https://honolulumuseum.org/about-us/
Size – Frame 72" x 18" x 8 panels, Painting 26.5" x 13.5" x 8
panels