221 - [COLLECTION OF THE LATE ROBERT STEEDMAN AND MARTHA HAMILTON] KIM JUNGEUN (KOREAN, AC. LATE 19TH CENTURY)

[COLLECTION OF THE LATE ROBERT STEEDMAN AND MARTHA HAMILTON] KIM JUNGEUN (KOREAN, AC. LATE 19TH CENTURY) SET OF SIXTEEN INK GENRE PAINTINGS 김준근（金俊根）風俗圖 水墨設色絹本 鏡框（一組十六幅）ink and colour on silk, depicting various scenes of daily life, including swinging, wedding ceremony, chess playing, vendors, etc. all inscribed in hangul and seal Kisan (箕山 기산) upper right, glazed and framed (16) 28cm x 33.5cm each From the collection of the late Robert Steedman OBE (1929-2026), and Martha Hamilton OBE (1929-2015), thence by direct descent. Robert Steedman was a renowned Scottish architect. He was the only son of Helen Hope Brazier (1899-1999), born in Beijing in 1899, who retained a lifelong interest in Asian art. The collection also includes items inherited from Mr Steedman's second wife, Martha Hamilton OBE, who spent many years in Sikkim as a missionary and teacher.已故羅伯特・斯蒂德曼（獲頒大英帝國官佐勳章，1929–2026）及瑪莎・漢密爾頓（獲頒大英帝國官佐勳章，1929–2015）舊藏，後家族遞藏。羅伯特・斯蒂德曼為著名蘇格蘭建築師，乃海倫・霍普・布雷澤（Helen Hope Brazier，1899–1999）之獨子。海倫於1899年生於北京，終其一生熱愛亞洲藝術。此批藏品亦包括承自斯蒂德曼第二任妻子瑪莎・漢密爾頓（1929–2015）之收藏。漢密爾頓曾多年於錫金擔任傳教士及教師。 Kim Jungeun (Gisan) 金俊根（箕山） (dates unknown) was a Korean genre painter active in the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his extensive and detailed depictions of everyday life and customs in late Joseon Korea. His genre paintings (풍속화) encompass an exceptionally broad range of subjects, including agriculture and handicrafts, markets and occupations, clothing and food, education and examinations, marriage and funeral rites, seasonal customs, traditional games and entertainment, as well as social institutions and punishments.Characterised by their lively depiction of figures engaged in specific activities, Kim’s paintings record not only the appearance of contemporary Korean society but also the objects, tools, clothing and practices associated with everyday life. Some compositions present individual activities, while others unfold as sequences of related scenes, such as the various stages of a traditional wedding. His works therefore serve as an important visual record of the customs and material culture of Korea around the turn of the 20th century.A series of comparable genre paintings by Kim Jungeun is in the National Folk Museum of Korea, for the scene playing Ssangnyuk, accession no. 민속097180; a chess playing scene, accession no.민속097178; swinging, accession no.민속099113; playing seesaw, accession no.민속097179; wedding ceremony, accession no.민속099101 and 민속099103; walking the tightrope, accession no.민속097181; funeral, accession no. 민속099108 and others.Several genre paintings by the artist appeared in auctions, one set of fourteen sold at Roseberys London, 21 May 2019, lot 469; two sold at Bonhams New York, 18 September 2024, lot 852; and a set of fourteen coloured paintings and sixteen ink paintings of scenes of daily life, each smaller in size compared to the current lot (approx. 19.1 x 13 cm each), sold at Christie's New York, 22 Mar 2022, lot 284.