A Joseon-era buncheong ware piece sold for $3.1 million (3.3 billion won at the time) at Christie's "Korean and Japanese Art" auction in New York in 2018, drawing widespread attention. Standing 23.5 centimeters tall with a short neck, a small flared mouth, a low narrow foot supporting the body, the "Buncheong Ware Flat Bottle with Incised Fish Design" features a fish swimming against strong waves on one side and a distinctive geometric pattern resembling waves on the other.
The bottle was taken to Japan in the 1930s and held by Osaka-born businessman and collector Hatsujiro Yamamoto before passing to renowned collector Shinshudo Goto in the 1980s, eventually appearing at the auction. With a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 to $250,000, the piece sold for nearly 20 times the low estimate, setting a record as the highest price ever paid for Korean buncheong ware.
The Korea Heritage Service announced Monday that it plans to designate the historically significant "Buncheong Ware Flat Bottle with Incised Fish Design" as a Treasure. The piece is estimated to have been produced in the Jeolla region during the 15th to 16th centuries. It was made in the form of a pyeonbyeong (a flask shaped like a turtle) by shaping a round bottle on a wheel, then striking the body to create flat surfaces and trimming the foot, with patterns incised into the surface using a sharp tool.
The Korea Heritage Service said, "It is a work that was publicly purchased and repatriated to Korea by a domestic collector in 2018, and the patterns expressed on the front and back are original and artistically outstanding, making it worthy of preservation."
The Korea Heritage Service also announced plans to designate six additional items as Treasures: "Murals of Daeungjeon Hall at Beomeosa Temple in Busan," "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mural at Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple in Buan," "Iron Seated Buddha at Jinguisa Temple Site in Imsil," "Wooden Standing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Wibongsa Temple in Wanju," "Paintings of Indra and the Heavenly Dragon King at Heungguksa Temple in Yeosu," and "Album of Landscape and Figure Paintings Attributed to Yi Gyeong-yun."
The "Murals of Daeungjeon Hall at Beomeosa Temple in Busan" consists of four Buddhist paintings on the east and west walls inside the main hall, showing how the world of Three Buddha faith was embodied in a single space. The Three Buddha faith emerged as a tradition during the reconstruction of Buddhism after the Imjin War, placing Sakyamuni Buddha as the principal deity flanked by the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha.
The "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mural at Daeungbojeon Hall of Naesosa Temple in Buan" is painted on the back wall behind the main altar, notable for its depiction of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva clad in white robes.
The "Iron Seated Buddha at Jinguisa Temple Site in Imsil," estimated to have been created in the late 9th to early 10th century at the end of the Unified Silla period, has lost its hands and parts of its body. However, it is recognized for its balanced proportions and refined sculptural technique, combining historical significance, artistic merit, and formal completeness.
Among the four bodhisattva statues known to have been created in 1605 for enshrinement at Bukam Hermitage of Wibongsa Temple in Wanju, the "Wooden Standing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva" were stolen in 1989 and recovered in 2016. They hold significant value as relatively large-scale bodhisattva statues from the Joseon period.
Completed in 1741 through collaboration among multiple monk painters, the "Paintings of Indra and the Heavenly Dragon King at Heungguksa Temple in Yeosu" is an important resource for studying the Uigyeom school, which was primarily active in the 18th century.
The "Album of Landscape and Figure Paintings Attributed to Yi Gyeong-yun," a collection containing landscape and figure paintings attributed to Yi Gyeong-yun, a representative literati painter of the mid-Joseon period, was also recognized for its value.
The agency also announced plans to designate Buddhist architectural heritage as Treasures, including six subsidiary halls and four monks' quarters built or reconstructed in the 17th to 19th centuries during the mid- to late-Joseon period. Subsidiary halls (bubuljeon) are Buddhist halls separated from the main hall that enshrines Buddha or bodhisattvas. Monks' quarters (yosachae) are spaces in temples where monks reside, including meditation rooms for Zen practice and inbeopdang used for worship and daily living.
Subsidiary halls and monks' quarters have been noted as relatively overlooked compared to main Buddhist halls, stone pagodas, and stone Buddha statues. Following consultations with the Buddhist community, the Korea Heritage Service decided to designate as Treasures: "Geungnakjeon Hall at Hyeondeungsa Temple in Gapyeong," "Birojeon Hall at Gagyeonsa Temple in Goesan," "Yeongsanjeon Hall at Seonunsa Temple in Gochang," "Wontongjeon Hall at Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon," "Eungjindang Hall at Songgwangsa Temple in Suncheon," and "Eungjinjeon Hall at Girimsa Temple in Gyeongju." Among monks' quarters, "Muryangsugak at Yeongcheonam Hermitage in Geumsan," "Seolseondang at Janggoksa Temple in Cheongyang," "Seolseondang and Yosa at Naesosa Temple in Buan," and "Jeonghyewon at Sungnimsa Temple in Iksan" are set to be added to the Treasure list.
The Korea Heritage Service will review opinions from various sectors during the 30-day preview period before finalizing the Treasure designations through deliberation by the Cultural Heritage Committee.
