hr: Antiques

Photo Credit: Mofaitsontdm

There has been an increase of strong interest and demand on antiques coming from Asia these past few years. They are also getting good prices. There are some items that were sold for higher prices than they did five or ten years ago.

It is hard to really get the good pieces since most of them are being declared as national treasures.One country that has plenty of beautiful antiques with unbelievable craftsmanship is South Korea.

I will be featuring on this site, every now and then, different items they considered to be national treasures. These are tangible artifacts and sites, which has superb aesthetic, intrinsic and historical value in their country.

Most of these items or sites have become popular tourist spots and has long been a favorite among their Asian neigbors particularly when the Korean Wave started. The first list of these Korean National Treasures was given by their Governor-General back in 1938 forged during the Japanese occupation to preserve the beauty and heritage of their past.

One that is included in the list is the Wongaksa Pagoda.

It is a ten story marble pagoda, which is 12 meter high. It was originally part of Wongaksa Temple in Gyeongbokgung Palace now it is on display in a protective glass case at Tapgol Park.

Antiques experts and historians considered this treasure as one of the finest proof of great pagoda art during the Joseon Dynasty.  The temple that housed this pagoda does not exist anymore. It is the sole surviving stone pagoda in that dynasty and on that reason alone, the officials made it the second national treasure of Korea back in 1962.

Photo Credit: Mofaitsontdm

When you see the 10-story pagoda, you will find an inscription on its upper part: “1467, the 13th year of King Sejo’s reign.” What makes it more rare is that it is made of marble. There are few existing pagodas that were made of marble because most of the artists used granite, a material easily available to them.

It has a three-tiered pedestal supporting the pagoda. It was intricately designed with the first three stories shaped like its base and the remaining seven stories are shaped in squares. Each story has carvings like Dragons, Buddhas, Lotus Flowers, Phoenixes, Four Heavenly Kings. The amazing thing is that it looked like it was made from wood, from the way it was carved.

Many collectors believed that it would have fetched a large amount of money if it is auctioned.