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Rare 19th-century map could fetch up to $685,000 at Seoul Auction

Published: 07 Feb. 2025, 16:39

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

This 1861 copy of the Daedongyeojido, or a woodblock map of the Korean Peninsula by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho, has been submitted for the monthly Seoul Auction on Feb. 18. [SEOUL AUCTION]

An 1861 copy of the Daedongyeojido, or a woodblock map of the Korean Peninsula made by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho, has been submitted for the monthly Seoul Auction on Feb. 18, the auction house said Friday.

The artifact is likely to sell for between $219,400 and $685,500.

The Daedongyeojido was initially comprised of 22 foldable booklets, each depicting different regions of the peninsula. When put together, the entire map is 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) wide and 6.8 meters high. Currently, there are 35 surviving copies, both in and outside of Korea, mostly in the possession of museums or institutions.

The entry piece has been transformed into three folding screens and is missing some parts of the original.

Other ancient works are set to be auctioned off the same day as well, including an 18th-century cheonghwa baekja (cobalt blue and white porcelain) jar estimated between $41,200 and $82,300 and an inlaid celadon flat jar from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) estimated between $20,600 and $54,900.

The 182nd edition of the Seoul Auction begins at 4 p.m. at Seoul Auction's Gangnam Center in southern Seoul. A preview of the artworks is available in the building until Feb. 18, free of charge.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]