Mid- 19th century

Ch'aekkori Screen

Korean literati of the Joseon dynasty greatly admired exotic goods imported from China and sought to surround themselves with the accoutrements of the Confucian scholar-official. They collected Chinese ceramics, scrolls, brush pots and inkstones, many of which are depicted in the screen type known as ch'aekkòri (scholar's books and utensils). These screens became extremely popular in Korea in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, often substituting for the expensive Chinese objects, and the painting styles range from very sophisticated to folk.