 |
| ▲ This image, provided by National Daegu Museum, shows its photo contest exhibition hall. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- The Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, a masterpiece encapsulating the artistic spirit of the Baekje Kingdom, is set to go on a special display.
The National Daegu Museum announced on December 6 that it will host a special exhibition titled "The Cultural History of Fragrance: From Aspiration to Taste" in its planning exhibition hall starting Dec. 7, commemorating the museum's 30th anniversary.
The exhibition will delve into the fragrance culture that pervaded everyday life from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon era. A museum official described incense as both a practical and luxurious item that symbolized spiritual sanctity, used in daily life, rituals, and religious practices.
The exhibit features 372 items across 275 entries, including various incense burners, ceremonial incense holders (hyangwan), incense stands, and historical documents and paintings related to incense.
 |
| ▲ This image, provided by the National Buyeo Museum, shows the Baekje Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner, a national treasure. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the National Treasure Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje. Discovered in December 1993 near a temple site at the Neungsan-ri Tumuli in Buyeo, this artifact exemplifies Baekje's creative and artistic ingenuity.
The lid of the burner is adorned with multiple layers of mountains, five musicians, mythical creatures like phoenixes and dragons, and intricate depictions of trees and rocks. Particularly striking are the phoenix perched on the summit, the lotus-shaped body, and the dynamic depiction of a dragon soaring skyward.
 |
| ▲ This image, provided by the National Buyeo Museum, shows the Baekje Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner, a national treasure. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The return of this artifact to Daegu marks its first visit in nearly 29 years. It was last displayed at the National Daegu Museum in June 1996, shortly after being designated a National Treasure on May 30 of the same year. A museum representative noted, "It has been 10,386 days since the Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje last came to Daegu. Daegu is the only regional museum to have hosted this artifact more than once."
The incense burner will be on view for 34 days until January 9, 2025.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the multifaceted nature of incense culture. Highlights include a bronze incense holder from Pyochungsa Temple in Miryang, which showcases intricate silver inlay (eunipsa) craftsmanship, and other regional treasures such as the silver-inlaid bronze incense holder from Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan and a similar iron artifact from Jikjisa Temple in Gyeongbuk.
 |
| ▲ This image, provided by National Daegu Museum, shows the Bronze Silver-Inlaid Incense Burner from Tongdosa, Yangsan, a state-designated treasure. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Additionally, the exhibition examines incense culture depicted in the Gamno Wangdo (Sweet Dew Painting), a Treasure housed at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, the museum is also displaying 60 visitor photographs in a "Memories of 30 Years at the Museum" exhibit and showcasing an outdoor collection of stone artifacts, including statues and steles donated by the late Lee Kun-hee, the former chairman of Samsung.
The special exhibition will run until March 3, 2025.
 |
| ▲ This image, provided by National Daegu Museum, shows its outdoor exhibition of the Stone Child Statues. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
