Extremely rare Korean silk screen painting sells at Newbury auction for amazing £218,950 – over 27 times its estimate

A rare Korean Royal silk screen painting by Kim Deuk-Sin (1754-1822), one of the best court painters of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) sold at Dreweatts in Newbury yesterday (Thursday) for more than 27 times its pre-sale estimate, achieving £218,950 against an estimate of £8,000-£12,000.

There was extremely competitive bidding for the screen on the telephones, as it is extremely rare, due to it bearing the seal of its artist, which hardly ever happened in Royal court painting. There are only a few examples of signed versions like this in the world.

The buyer was a private collector in the US.

The screen depicts the revered Chinese General Guo Ziyi (697-781) of China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907) and is one of only 47 screens of the same topic remaining in the world today.

Watch a short video of it being sold live in the auction room at https://youtu.be/j6yOcFQWQTs

Depicting a banquet in honour of the famed General Guo Ziyi (697-781) of China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907), the screen is one of only 47 of the same topic remaining in the world today (scattered across major museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Palace Museum of Korea), the stand-out difference being that only a very few bear the seal of the artist.

Dr Yingwen Tao, Dreweatts specialist in Chinese and Asian Art, said: “We are delighted with the result of this screen, attributed to one of the finest court artists of the Joseon Dynasty.

“This particular example stands out due to its incredible attention to detail. It is so exquisite that it would have been used at very special celebrations, or offered as a congratulatory gift to a distinguished individual or member of the Royal family.

“It is no wonder that having been signed with a seal by the artist, which is extremely rare, there would be high demand for it on the day.”