An Evening of Korean Art at the Harvard University Art Museums

Anne Rose Kitagawa and Melissa Moy

Yi Ha-ûng (1820-1898)
Orchids and Rocks
Chosôn dynasty, 1896-1898
Set of four hanging scrolls; ink on silk; H. 87.5 cm x W. 30.8 cm each
Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, 2005.99

On Tuesday 1 March 2005 the Korea Institute and the Harvard University Art Museums (HUAM) cosponsored "An Evening of Korean Art" at Harvard’s Arthur M. Sackler Museum to celebrate Korea’s artistic achievements and create a greater awareness of the university’s extraordinary holdings of Korean art. Throughout the evening guests roamed the Asian galleries, noting especially the many exquisite Korean objects on view, and later enjoyed a catered reception. The highlight of the event was a slide lecture by Robert D. Mowry, the HUAM’s Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and Senior Lecturer on Chinese and Korean Art in Harvard’s Department of the History of Art and Architecture. To a crowd of more than 200, Mr. Mowry introduced the HUAM’s remarkable assemblage of Korean paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and Buddhist sculpture, which has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the West’s most important Korean art resources.

In describing the history and evolution of the HUAM’s Korean collection, Mr. Mowry touched on such early acquisitions as the 1919 bequest of Hervey E. Wetzel, which included a twelfth-century Maebyŏng Jar still among the most important Korean celadons in the West. The 1943 bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop included exceptional Buddhist works, particularly several gilt-bronze sculptures of the Three Kingdoms, Unified Silla, and Koryŏ periods and a breathtaking fourteenth-century painting of Kwansemm Posal. The 1984 Philip Hofer bequest brought a small but significant group of Korean Buddhist sutras, including one on indigo-blue paper with gold-painted frontispiece and text written in silver.

Robert Mowry’s 1991 promotion to head the HUAM Department of Asian Art fostered a new era for Korean art at Harvard. Between 1967 and 1969 he served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Suwŏn, Kyŏnggi Province; he has since successfully combined his admiration of Korea with his extensive art-historical scholarship in order to raise awareness about Korea’s glorious cultural heritage. Under his stewardship, the HUAM acquired the Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Henderson Collection of Korean ceramics, comprising more than 150 pieces and including examples of every major ceramic type produced on the Korean peninsula between the fifth and nineteenth centuries. In addition, over the past decade, the Museums have acquired more than 100 important Korean literati paintings and calligraphic works, including a magnificent eight-panel folding screen by Yu Tŏk-chang (1675-1756) representing Bamboo through the Four Seasons. The HUAM have also acquired representative objects in other media (e.g., metalwork, textiles, lacquers, printed books, and manuscripts) in an effort to fully document Korea’s impressive artistic heritage. Although many museums have examples of fine Korean ceramics, few have any paintings; in fact, it is the HUAM’s significant assemblage of Korean literati paintings that distinguishes it from other Western collections, particularly since Koreans themselves consider painting and calligraphy to be the highest forms of artistic expression.

Mariot Fraser Solomon, a long-time HUAM donor who attended the evening program, was so inspired that she agreed to fund the acquisition of a rare and exceptionally important set of four hanging scrolls representing Orchids and Rocks painted by Prince Yi Ha-ûng (1820-1898). Mrs. Solomon touchingly specified that the HUAM acquire them in honor of John M. Rosenfield, Harvard’s Abby Aldrich Professor of Oriental Art Emeritus, and Bob Mowry’s predecessor as head of the HUAM’s Asian department.

The continued growth of the HUAM’s collection of Korean art now seems assured; as the collection matures, it will sustain in-depth research and teaching in the field of Korean art, just as it will spark more public programs. In fact, the HUAM and the Korea Institute plan to sponsor additional programming in future years, ensuring Harvard’s well-founded reputation as an excellent place to study the art, history, literature, and culture of Korea.

Willow-Branch Kwanseûm Posal Seated in a Paradise Garden
Koryô dynasty, mid-14th century
Hanging scroll; ink, colors, and gold pigment on silk; H. 159.6 cm x W. 82.5 cm
Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, 1943.57.12