Ceramic masterpieces from South Korea

arrive at the Princessehof

KOREA. Gateway to a rich past opens in the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics on 16 October 2021 and can be visited until 21 August 2022. Dozens of loaned objects from South Korea are coming to Leeuwarden especially for this exhibition. The masterpieces are from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul and will viewable in the Netherlands for the first time this autumn. The couriers from South Korea arrived today with the crates filled with treasures. Curator Eline van den Berg has been looking forward to this for a long time: 'I can finally see these beautiful pieces with my own eyes. Each of these objects tells us something more about Korea’s rich history. Unpacking the boxes containing the pieces is already a party.’

One of the first objects to be (carefully) unpacked was an 18th-century moon jar. Moon jars are special because they embody the Korean aesthetic with its emphasis on natural forms and spontaneity. Nowadays, the jars are national symbols in South Korea.

60 years of diplomatic relations
The Princessehof has a longstanding relationship with the South Korean National Museum of Korea. For example, loans from this museum were featured in the Sunken Treasures exhibition (2019). A large collection of European and Asian ceramics from the Princessehof is also currently on display in Seoul. The KOREA exhibition will be officially opened on 15 October by the ambassador of South Korea and the director of the NMK, who will travel to the Netherlands especially for this occasion. The exhibition is also a perfect occasion to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and South Korea.

KOREA

Gateway to a rich past

Yoon Seok-Hyeon

From 16 October to 30 October 2022