Rare Antique Korean Hwagak Jewelry Box With Velvet Carrying Case

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Rare Antique Jewelry Box using the Korean technique called hwagak, which involves reverse-painting on thin, translucent sheets of ox horn … Read more Rare Antique Jewelry Box using the Korean technique called hwagak, which involves reverse-painting on thin, translucent sheets of ox horn that are then applied to a wooden frame.
These boxes often served as accessories or jewelry boxes, particularly for high-ranking women in Korean society, and were sometimes given as wedding gifts.
The designs typically feature auspicious symbols, animals, and plants, such as dragons, phoenixes, deer, cranes, flowers, and butterflies, each carrying symbolic meaning related to prosperity, longevity, and marital bliss.
The meticulous process of creating hwagak boxes involves soaking, boiling, flattening, and painting the ox horn before attaching it to the wooden base and polishing it to a high luster. I have seen a few of these boxes and they have been a lot of money and they were damaged. According to my research there is one man that makes these boxes. See less