PEM in an Hour
9. Korean Guardian Figures
Beyond these doors is a contemplative garden with intimate spaces featuring regional and international plantings and several water features. This garden is open seasonally and I know you’ll enjoy it. Towering above you are village guardian posts from late 19th century Korea. They were designed to guard a village or temple against misfortune, disease and evil spirits with their bared teeth and vigilant wide eyes. You might be surprised to learn that the museum’s first gifts of Korean art came from an adventurous young Korean diplomat. In 1883, Yu Giljun (Yu Kil-chun), a young politician and intellectual, joined the first official Korean delegation to the U.S. After his duties in Washington, DC, were over, Yu came to Salem, compelled to visit the museum’s already rich Asian art collections. He lived in the area for over a year, advising Edward Sylvester Morse, one of our museum’s early directors. Before Yu’s departure, Morse encouraged him to donate some of his traditional clothing to the museum. Look for Yu Giljun’s hat in our Salem Stories exhibition. We are currently working on creating a dedicated gallery to our important Korean collection.
Now, please turn to your right to find the door to our maritime gallery.