Arts of Korea is now available as an enhanced e-book. The publication explores one of the finest collections of Korean art outside of East Asia through the presentation of 150 color illustrations, 11 of which are interactive, allowing the reader to rotate selected treasures 360 degrees with the touch of a finger. It provides detailed views of magnificent objects, such as a 12th-century ewer in the shape of a bamboo shoot, a 14th-century Buddhist reliquary, a 15th-century flask with fish and scroll design, and a contemporary vase from the 1990s. The 100 works highlighted in Arts of Korea are drawn from the Museum’s collection of more than 1,000 Korean objects. Among them are superb ceramics, such as celadon masterworks from the 11th to 14th centuries, as well as Buddhist paintings and sculptures, metalwork, lacquer, and ink painting. While some of the objects featured in the publication were created for royals and aristocrats, many others were originally intended for everyday use and tell a story not only about the artisans who made these boxes, mirrors, jars, tiles, and trays, but also about the people who used them. The works represented in Arts of Korea range from a Bronze Age dagger to contemporary ceramics and prints, highlighting the creative dialogue of artists with Korea’s unique traditions, as well as with those of China and Japan, over more than two millennia. Offering illuminating essays about the objects’ cultural history and enhanced with spectacular photography, this publication offers an ideal introduction to the splendors and subtleties of Korean art.

Jane Portal is Matsutaro Shoriki Chair of the Arts of Asia, Oceania and Africa at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.