A Korean scroll is a painting or work of calligraphy from Korea mounted as a hanging or hand scroll, usually executed in ink and colour on paper or silk. Korean painting shares many conventions with Chinese ink painting, yet it developed distinctive subjects, styles and a recognisable directness of brushwork.
Most scrolls found on the market date from the Joseon dynasty, which ruled Korea from the late fourteenth to the early twentieth century. Scholar-painters produced landscapes, the four gentlemen of plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo, and calligraphy, while court and professional painters made portraits, documentary paintings and decorative works. Particularly characteristic are minhwa, or folk paintings, depicting tigers and magpies, symbols of longevity, books and scholars' objects known as chaekgeori, and auspicious flowers and birds, often in bright colours. The true-view landscape movement associated with Jeong Seon depicted actual Korean scenery rather than idealised Chinese models. Collectors consider the quality of brushwork, seals and inscriptions, and the condition of the painting and mount. Korean works are sometimes misattributed as Chinese or Japanese, and genuine early examples are scarce, so specialist opinion is valuable for any significant attribution.
