ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS 56 HIGHLIGHT KOREAN HANGING SCROLLS IN 19TH-CENTURY KOREA, STILL-LIFE PAINTINGS of dishes and vessels with flowers and fruits developed into a distinctive genre known as gimyeong jeoljido. These two hanging scrolls display an abundance of plum branches, lotus flowers, lotus root, cabbage, grapes, loquats, water caltrops, Buddha’s hand citron, and more, most of which carry auspicious symbolism. The vessels depicted are based on Chinese prototypes that reflect an increasing antiquarian interest in the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Knowledge of these antiquities was disseminated to Korea through Chinese paintings and prints, or directly through imported collectibles. The inscriptions of two poems from China’s Ming (1368– 1644) and Qing dynasties further reveal the popularity of Chinese culture and its influence. One of the most important Korean artists at the turn of the 20th century, Ahn Jung-sik was among the last painters employed by the royal bureau of painting at the court of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). He was sent to China as an envoy-painter before the collapse of Joseon, and would have learned about the Chinese cultural trends and painting styles. Now in the format of a pair of hanging scrolls, the paintings may originally have been part of a multipanel screen. In 2017, SCMA finished a survey requested by Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage on Korean art collections and galleries in U.S. museums. The results show that while SCMA has been steadily building a Korean art collection, the premodern holdings are not as strong as contemporary art holdings. The acquisition of the still-life paintings, along with a number of other Korean traditional paintings, signals the ongoing efforts to fill this gap in our collection and the museum’s goal of expanding the ink painting discourse in a pan-East Asian context. ABOVE: Ahn Jung-sik. Korean, 1861–1919. Still Life (details), 19th–20th century. Two hanging scrolls, ink and color on paper. Purchased with the Carroll and Nolen Asian Art Acquisition Fund