Attributed to Yi Taek-gyun (Korea, active after 1883) A rare six-panel chaekgeori screen with hidden seal Korea, second half of the 19th century, Joseon dynasty Ink and mineral pigments on paper mounted on boards (cm 137x278) (defects and restorations) This exceptional six-panel folding screen is a striking example of chaekgeori (???), or “books and things,” a uniquely Korean genre of still-life painting that flourished during the final century of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Painted in refined trompe-l’œil, the screen displays an imaginary scholar’s cabinet filled with elegantly stacked books, scrolls, celadon cups, jade brushes, inkstones, scholar’s rocks, flower vases, and ritual vessels. Each object is carefully arranged to evoke ideals of erudition, harmony, and moral cultivation, core values of Confucian thought.   Chaekgeori painting emerged in the late 18th century, likely under the influence of King Jeongjo (r. 1776–1800), a sovereign known for his scholarly pursuits and his efforts to elevate the intellectual culture of the court. Inspired by Chinese duobaoge cabinets and informed by Western perspective introduced through Jesuit missionaries, chaekgeori developed into a genre distinctly Korean in style and purpose. While drawing upon foreign models, it emphasized balance, symbolism, and conceptual elegance over strict realism.   The present screen is of particular importance due to the presence of a red seal discreetly integrated into the upper left register of the composition, a so-called hidden seal (eumjang ??), used by Korean artists as a subtle signature. Intended to preserve visual harmony, these seals were often concealed within the pictorial elements themselves. Only around a dozen chaekgeori screens bearing such hidden seals are known today.   This seal allows the work to be attributed to Yi Taek-gyun, a royal court painter active in the second half of the 19th century.   The refined draftsmanship, spatial precision, and tonal elegance of this screen speak to the hand of a consummate artist working in elite circles, most likely for a courtly or high-ranking Confucian patron. As both a cultural artifact and a visual manifesto of the scholar’s world, this screen exemplifies the intellectual and aesthetic sophistication of late Joseon painting at its finest.   Compare with a screen in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, recently studied by Dr. Sooa McCormick and Prof. Byungmo Chung, which was attributed to Yi Taek-gyun on the basis of an identical hidden seal. That work is now one of only three securely attributed to the artist, placing the present screen among a rare and highly significant group of chaekgeori masterpieces.   Another screen attributed to Yi, originally a ten-panel composition later framed as ten individual works, was sold at Christie’s New York (13 December 2024, Lot 1078, Mica Ertegun Collection Part III) for USD 642,600 — more than 25 times its estimate. That work bore a seal on its rightmost panel.   Provenance: Acquired circa 1987 from the gallery La Vieille Fontaine, Lausanne, Switzerland, with handwritten correspondence and press documentation signed by Madeleine Oesch-Gonin (1908–1999), founder of La Vieille Fontaine. The documents reference a record-setting sale of a comparable ten-panel chaekgeori screen at Hôtel Drouot, Paris (24 June 1987), indicating early recognition of the work’s quality. Private collection

Estimate € 15,000 - 25,000

Sold € 45,000