Orchids and Rocks (1897–98): Art, History and Details

Orchids and Rocks (1897–98) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Yi Ha-eung (Korean, 1820–1898).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Yi Ha-eung (1820−1898), the artist of this eight-panel folding screen, was one of the most influential men in late 19th-century Korea. Acting as the regent for his son, King Gojong (1852−1919), who ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, Yi ruled Korea from 1866 to 1873. In addition to his illustrious political career, Yi was also recognized as one of the most celebrated artists who led the revival of literati art in late 19th-century Korean art. In particular, he was recognized as the master of orchids, one of the “Four Gentlemen” (plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo) themes. Solely relying on monochrome ink, Yi depicted the curvilinear silhouettes of cymbidium orchid leaves dramatically hanging down from cliffs. Growing in wilderness and redolent with fragrance, orchids were often associated with the perseverance of principled gentlemen, and thus became one of the most popular subjects of scholar-artists' paintings.On the upper right corner of the far left panel, Yi wrote a short inscription stating that he painted the work at the age of 80.

Object facts

• Title: Orchids and Rocks
• Date: 1897–98
• Creator attribution: Yi Ha-eung (Korean, 1820–1898)
• Culture: Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), Korean Empire period (1897–1910)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Eight-panel folding screen; ink on silk
• Dimensions: Overall: 185 x 52.6 cm (72 13/16 x 20 11/16 in.); Each panel: 111.9 x 1.5 cm (44 1/16 x 9/16 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Folding screen
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 2015.138

A detail from the museum

The artist of this elegant painting is the formidable politician Yi Ha-eung (1820–1898), who is known for a seclusion policy that aimed to protect Korea and its sovereignty from foreign influences.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Kim, Jeong-suk. "Formative Stages of Ink Orchid Paintings by Yi Ha-eung [石坡 李昰應 墨蘭畵風의 형성]." Misulsahak yeongu (2002): 233–266.
• Kim, Jeong-suk. " Yi Ha-eung’s Art [흥선 대원군 이하응 의 예술 세계].” Seoul: Iljisa, 2004.
• Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.