Description

Poem About Calligraphy by Kim Ok Gyoun (1851-1894). The last photo here shows a much shorter work by Kim Ok Gyoun that was estimated at $3000 in a 2004 Korean auction. Kim was a brilliant young man who earned the highest scores on his public service exams. He was a government official who was assassinated at a young age. This is a lengthy piece for Kim Ok Gyoun, making it a rare find. It is an important piece because it is a well-rendered and beautiful ode to calligraphy itself, that translates as follows: "The benefits of calligraphy are self-cultivation and a cleansing of the heart and mind. Each word has the image and fragrance of a flower, derived from the character of the brush and the fragrance of the ink. If the calligrapher's heart and mind are aligned to The Way, then his work will resemble jade in its raw state as it is found in the mountains and villages". Scroll: 66.5 x 17.5 inches, 169 x 44.5 cm; Calligraphy: 38 x 12.25 inches, 96.5 x 31 cm.