An Jung-geun calligraphy fetches 2.7 billion won, setting domestic auction record

A calligraphic work left by independence activist An Jung-geun shortly after his death sentence was handed down sold for 2.7 billion won ($1.76 million) at a domestic auction Wednesday, setting a record for any An Jung-geun calligraphic work sold at auction in South Korea.

K Auction said the piece — "Baengindangjungyutaehwa" — along with a printed copy of An's Feb. 14, 1910 death sentence ruling, sold together as a set at the company's major auction held Wednesday.

Bidding opened at 1.6 billion won and closed 1.1 billion won higher after competitive bidding. The phrase "Baengindangjungyutaehwa" means "a household of a hundred acts of patience will be blessed with peace and harmony." Below the calligraphy is a "danji jang" — an imprint of An's left palm, from which he had severed his ring finger.

The work is designated National Treasure No. 569-1. It was the first piece listed when 26 of An's calligraphic works were collectively designated national treasures in 1972. A Korean individual acquired it in Manchuria during the Japanese colonial period, and one family kept it for more than a century before it came to public attention through this auction.

The previous record had been held by another An calligraphic work, "Yonghojiunsegijainmyojitae," which fetched 1.95 billion won at a Seoul Auction auction in December 2023. Last year, An's calligraphic work "Insimjoseokbyeonsansaekgogeumdong" also sold for 1.3 billion won.