From clay wine bottle to Dior bag: Exhibits showcase diplomatic gifts between Korea and France
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This article is by Jin Eun-soo and read by an artificial voice.
In collaboration with the Presidential Archives of Korea, the museum will present "Gifts and Records: 140 Years of Korea-France Friendship," an exhibition tracing the history of bilateral ties through gifts exchanged by leaders and official diplomatic records.
"Throughout Korea's history, from the Joseon Dynasty to the Korean Empire, provisional government and now the Republic of Korea, France has been a longstanding friend and partner," said Lee Hong-ju, the curator of the exhibition, on Tuesday.
"The exhibition looks into those 140 years of friendship through gifts and records."
The onggi wine bottle marks the first official gift exchange between the two countries, when Charles de Montigny, then the French consul in Shanghai, visited Joseon to rescue the crew of the French whaling ship Narval, which had drifted ashore on Bigeum Island in 1851. It was gifted to the consul by the people of Bigeum Island, as marked on the bottom of the bottle, and had been donated to the Musée National de Céramique de Sèvres in France. This is the bottle's first return to its home country in 175 years.
The second section showcases the original documents of the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Joseon and France, signed on June 4, 1886. The treaty was drafted in both Chinese characters and French, with two copies produced in each language. Korea currently possesses only the Chinese-language version, which is housed at the National Library of Korea.
The agreement granted legal protection to French missionaries and allowed them to travel throughout the country with valid passports. It also provided the legal basis for missionary activities in Joseon, including the building of Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul today. The original record of land purchases for the cathedral's construction by Bishop Marie-Jean-Gustave Blanc is also on display.
From the third section is where a series of exchanged gifts, some of which are lavish, reveals, reflecting the close and active relationship they maintained over the years.
The fourth section examines exchanges during the Japanese colonial period, while the fifth focuses on diplomatic ties after Korea's liberation.
Among the items on display in the fifth section is a silver vessel presented by French President François Mitterrand during the 1986 Paris summit, the first summit between the two countries held in France. Then-President Chun Doo Hwan gifted a Korean celadon vase in return.
The two countries continued to strengthen their relationship through subsequent exchanges. Highlights include a lacquered mother-of-pearl box presented by President Roh Tae-woo during a 1989 summit in Paris and a crystal vase crafted by the French luxury crystal maker Baccarat, which President Jacques Chirac gifted at the 2000 Paris summit.
Among the most recent are the Lady Dior handbag and a set of summaries of the history of the French Revolution, which French President Emmanuel Macron gifted to President Moon Jae-in at a summit in Paris in 2018.
A related exhibition that focuses on a pair of banhwa — a potted tree-shaped ornament with symbols of prosperity, longevity and peace, one of the crafts that King Gojong gifted to French President Carnot — has opened at Dondeokjeon in Deoksu Palace.
Banhwa incorporates motifs such as peonies, orchids, pine trees and oriental arborvitae, meticulously crafted from precious materials including gold, jade, coral and tortoiseshell. The ornament, currently held by France's Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, couldn't be sent to Korea due to the risk of damage. The two pairs on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea and at Dondeokjeon are replicas crafted by National Intangible Cultural Heritage holder Kim Young-hee and sponsored by Korea's cosmetics company Amorepacific.
The exhibition "Gifts and Records: 140 Years of Korea-France Friendship" at the National Palace Museum of Korea runs through Aug. 2 a...
In collaboration with the Presidential Archives of Korea, the museum will present "Gifts and Records: 140 Years of Korea-France Friendship," an exhibition tracing the history of bilateral ties through gifts exchanged by leaders and official diplomatic records.
"Throughout Korea's history, from the Joseon Dynasty to the Korean Empire, provisional government and now the Republic of Korea, France has been a longstanding friend and partner," said Lee Hong-ju, the curator of the exhibition, on Tuesday.
"The exhibition looks into those 140 years of friendship through gifts and records."
The onggi wine bottle marks the first official gift exchange between the two countries, when Charles de Montigny, then the French consul in Shanghai, visited Joseon to rescue the crew of the French whaling ship Narval, which had drifted ashore on Bigeum Island in 1851. It was gifted to the consul by the people of Bigeum Island, as marked on the bottom of the bottle, and had been donated to the Musée National de Céramique de Sèvres in France. This is the bottle's first return to its home country in 175 years.
The second section showcases the original documents of the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Joseon and France, signed on June 4, 1886. The treaty was drafted in both Chinese characters and French, with two copies produced in each language. Korea currently possesses only the Chinese-language version, which is housed at the National Library of Korea.
The agreement granted legal protection to French missionaries and allowed them to travel throughout the country with valid passports. It also provided the legal basis for missionary activities in Joseon, including the building of Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul today. The original record of land purchases for the cathedral's construction by Bishop Marie-Jean-Gustave Blanc is also on display.
From the third section is where a series of exchanged gifts, some of which are lavish, reveals, reflecting the close and active relationship they maintained over the years.
The fourth section examines exchanges during the Japanese colonial period, while the fifth focuses on diplomatic ties after Korea's liberation.
Among the items on display in the fifth section is a silver vessel presented by French President François Mitterrand during the 1986 Paris summit, the first summit between the two countries held in France. Then-President Chun Doo Hwan gifted a Korean celadon vase in return.
The two countries continued to strengthen their relationship through subsequent exchanges. Highlights include a lacquered mother-of-pearl box presented by President Roh Tae-woo during a 1989 summit in Paris and a crystal vase crafted by the French luxury crystal maker Baccarat, which President Jacques Chirac gifted at the 2000 Paris summit.
Among the most recent are the Lady Dior handbag and a set of summaries of the history of the French Revolution, which French President Emmanuel Macron gifted to President Moon Jae-in at a summit in Paris in 2018.
A related exhibition that focuses on a pair of banhwa — a potted tree-shaped ornament with symbols of prosperity, longevity and peace, one of the crafts that King Gojong gifted to French President Carnot — has opened at Dondeokjeon in Deoksu Palace.
Banhwa incorporates motifs such as peonies, orchids, pine trees and oriental arborvitae, meticulously crafted from precious materials including gold, jade, coral and tortoiseshell. The ornament, currently held by France's Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, couldn't be sent to Korea due to the risk of damage. The two pairs on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea and at Dondeokjeon are replicas crafted by National Intangible Cultural Heritage holder Kim Young-hee and sponsored by Korea's cosmetics company Amorepacific.
The exhibition "Gifts and Records: 140 Years of Korea-France Friendship" at the National Palace Museum of Korea runs through Aug. 2 a...
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