Object

Boxes with ten longevity symbols
  • Lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay
  • Joseon dynasty, 19th–early 20th century
  • Bequest of Lee Kun-Hee, 2021
  • Collection of National Museum of Korea
During the late Joseon dynasty, ten longevity symbols like the sun, rocks, and a pair of cranes and auspicious symbols like peaches, bats, plum blossoms, and bamboo became common motifs. This box incorporated several longevity symbols depicted in a folk-painting style, where peaches and twin cranes indicates longevity and good fortune.