{"product_id":"mother-of-pearl-folding-screen-grand-scale-sun-moon-and-five-peaks-landscape-ilwol-o-bongdo","title":"Mother-of-Pearl Folding Screen: Grand-Scale Sun, Moon and Five Peaks Landscape (Ilwol O’bongdo)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis piece is chosen by those who recognize authority not as display, but as order sustained through balance.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“A radiant landscape unfolds with quiet inevitability, holding time, power, and continuity in measured harmony.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis folding screen presents Ilwol O’bongdo—the Sun, the Moon, and the Five Peaks—one of the most symbolically charged images in Korean court culture. Traditionally positioned behind the royal throne of the Joseon dynasty, this composition did not serve as decoration, but as a visual articulation of sovereign order. The sun signifies the king, the moon the queen; together with the mountains, water, and pine trees, the scene encompasses the full cycle of the Sipjangsaeng, the Ten Symbols of Longevity, expressing wishes for enduring rule, vitality, and peace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRendered entirely in finely prepared shellwork, the landscape is constructed as a continuous pictorial field across the folding panels. Distinct types of shell are selected for each element—mountains, waves, trees, clouds—ensuring that forms do not visually collapse into one another, but retain their individual presence within the whole. The sun and moon are intentionally coloured, creating decisive points of contrast that anchor the composition and clarify its symbolic hierarchy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticularly demanding is the execution of the waves, pine trees, and mountainous contours through pierced shell work. In this process, one shell surface is carefully opened according to the intended pattern, and a different shell is precisely cut and fitted into the void. This technique requires sustained concentration and exacting control, as even minor misalignment disrupts the visual continuity. In the waves and cascading waterfalls, shell has been cut into exceptionally fine lines, allowing movement to emerge through repetition rather than force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scale of the screen—54 centimetres in width and 37 centimetres in height—gives it sufficient presence to define a space without overwhelming it. Rather than functioning as a backdrop, it operates as a composed visual centre, inviting prolonged viewing and gradual discovery as light shifts across its surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat emerges is not a reproduction of royal imagery, but a distilled interpretation of its underlying philosophy: a world governed by balance, restraint, and enduring rhythm. The screen does not assert itself loudly; instead, it holds its authority through structure, material discipline, and the quiet accumulation of detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWidth- 56cm (22.04 inch)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight- 35cm (13.78 inch)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepth- 1.5cm (0.59 inch)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelated Links\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.artinko.com\/blogs\/korean-culture\/about-mother-of-pearl-art\"\u003eAbout Mother of Pearl Art\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.artinko.com\/blogs\/korean-culture\/about-korean-folding-screen\" title=\"About Korean Folding Screen\"\u003eAbout Folding Screen \u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Mother of Pearls","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51568431956199,"sku":null,"price":1458.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/0100\/1191\/files\/AD28A9C2-1D35-45B1-9750-B73B909EC166.jpg?v=1769578670","url":"https:\/\/www.artinko.com\/fr\/products\/mother-of-pearl-folding-screen-grand-scale-sun-moon-and-five-peaks-landscape-ilwol-o-bongdo","provider":"ArtinKo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}