KOREAN ARTISTJoseon dynasty, 19th centuryTiger and magpie in a landscape with a pine treeInk and colours on paperSigned å°æ¹– on the lower left side with two seals.127 x 64 cmProvenance: ambassador and plenipotentiary ministry Francesco Rausi.The theme of the tiger and the magpie (jakhodo) is one of the most popular in Korean art of the 19th century. Traditionally, paintings with this subject were displayed at the entrance of homes during the New Year because both the animals were considered of good auspicious, the tiger being the most powerful among the evil-repelling animal and the magpie bringing good news. Usually, as in this case, the subject was treated with humoristically.It is not common to find signed Korean paintings with this theme.For a related not signed painting in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (inv. n. FE.69-1997), see B. McKillop-P. LeMoigne, “Tradition and Transformationâ€. Two decades of Korean Art and Design at the V&A Museum, in “Orientationsâ€, 43, 2012, 6, pp. 83-91.