Artist · 14 prints
Korean minhwa painter (unidentified) Prints
About Korean Minhwa
Minhwa is the Korean term for folk painting made during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Most minhwa were painted by anonymous artists, many of them commoners without formal training, although court painters also worked in the style. Most surviving examples date from the later Joseon period, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Minhwa were hung in homes and used for weddings, birthdays and other occasions. Many were meant to protect the household from evil spirits and to bring happiness, wealth and good health. Common subjects include the tiger and magpie, with the tiger seen as a guardian against misfortune; birds and flowers; fish as a symbol of fertility; and munjado, paintings of written characters for Confucian virtues such as filial piety and loyalty. Museum examples include Tiger, Magpies, and Pine (18th century) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a tiger painting of about 1840 at National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.
Korean minhwa prints: reproductions of Joseon-dynasty folk paintings by unidentified Korean painters. The collection includes One Hundred Children at Play, Tigers and Leopard Frolicking, Talismanic Picture of Tigers and Magpies, Dog Treeing a Cat and Grapevines.
Our selection covers the main minhwa subjects: tigers, including Tiger Family and a talismanic tiger-and-magpie picture; flowers and birds, such as Peonies and Rocks, Lotus Flowers and Birds and Paired Birds and Flowers; and painted character panels for "Tiger", "Dragon" and "Whistle". Children Bathing in a River and One Hundred Children at Play add scenes of children. The bright colour and flat, simple forms are typical of Korean folk painting.
The tiger pictures and character panels suit hallways and entrances, the flower and bird paintings suit living rooms and bedrooms, and the scenes of children suit children's rooms. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
