Early 20th Century Korean Folk Shamanistic Seven Stars Painting

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Description

A Korean folk painting watercolor on linen (silk) with a cloth mat and walnut wood frame. The work is in … Read more A Korean folk painting watercolor on linen (silk) with a cloth mat and walnut wood frame. The work is in the shamanistic style and depicts the Taoist personification (Chilwon Seonggun) of the seven stars of the Big Dipper (Chilseong Yeorae). A fusion of Buddhism, Taoism and folk/shamanistic mythology, paintings of such style were widely popular in Joseon Dynasty and displayed in the designated shrines in the temple. As the guiding constellation in the sky, the Bigger Dipper was widely worshipped as deities for their protection power from evils and sins, as well as their aid in conception of male babies. The painting is of a prototype in its composition and stylization, with six stars dressed in flowing Taoist robes and hair crowns, and one with the elongated head on the lower left, who is the Old Man of the South Pole and the symbol of longevity (the Taoist deification of the Southern Polar Star).
Sight of the image: 28 1/4 x 17 1/4 inches. One of the two matching painting for sale in the same wood frame.
Reference: for a similar painting, see Illustration plate 4 of the book "God Picture in Korean Context". Collection in Gahoe Museum, no. musin-158.
Suggested reading on the subject: LACMA collection M.2000.15.1-2. See less