Early 20th Century Korean Folk General Guan Gong Painting

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A Korean folk Shamanism watercolor on textile matted with woven brocade and presented in a wood frame with an oriental … Read more A Korean folk Shamanism watercolor on textile matted with woven brocade and presented in a wood frame with an oriental style metal hanging hardware. The painting was estimated to be from early 20th century circa 1910-1930s. It depicts Guan Yu (160-220AD), a legendary Chinese warrior and general from Eastern Han Dynasty. Long worshiped in China as a deity, across all three major religions, Guan Gong was favored by the mass for his protective power and also as a symbol of heroism and righteousness. Regardless the religious context, he is characterized by his flowering long beard (one of his monikers is Gent with Beautiful Beard) and his battlefield weapon, a large knife-like blade. The cult spread to Korea peninsular in Ming Dynasty circa 16th century when China sent army to help Korea defeat the invasion of the Japanese. And it quickly became widely popular. Many temples (over 1000 in Korea today) were built to dedicate to him as a god and his image evolves locally to blend Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shamanism. This painting on offer was done in a Classic Korean shamanistic style. In a "trinity" composition, Guan Yu is in the middle holding his long beard and a book, Liu Bei the Lord to the right, and Zhang Fei, another legendary hero on the left holding the weapon for him. Note their stylized expressive facial features and as well as bright color preference. It was most likely displayed in the house as a protective talisman. See less