Twin Phoenixes Beneath the Rising Sun

The Original. An heirloom-grade mother-of-pearl lacquer chest, shaped entirely by one master's hand — created not merely to be owned, but to be inherited.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA-RECOGNIZED HERITAGE AUTHENTICITY — Created by a holder of Korea's National Intangible Cultural Heritage and an Official Master Craftsman, presented with verified provenance, maker identity, and signed authenticity documentation.

For works made to order, Grand Master Choi Tae-hwa begins creating your piece—for you alone—once your order is confirmed.

Bongseo Odong (鳳棲梧桐) · Twin Phoenixes Beneath the Rising Sun — A Najeonchilgi Mother-of-Pearl Lacquer Document Chest

A singular najeonchilgi masterpiece, shaped entirely by hand by Choi Tae-hwa, Grand Master of Korea No. 623—a sanctuary for the words a family holds most sacred.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION — Style SL-C6099369

Bongseo Odong—“the phoenix that dwells in the paulownia”—draws upon one of the most venerable images in East Asian thought: the sacred phoenix that alights upon no tree but the paulownia, and appears only where virtue and wisdom abide. Upon a ground of deep, mirror-black lacquer, a pair of phoenixes descends beside the paulownia as the morning sun ascends, their plumage rendered in hand-selected turban-shell nacre that turns from rose to jade to moonlit silver with every change of light. Ancient rocks, rolling waves, the herb of immortality, and drifting auspicious clouds gather around them, composing a world beyond the reach of time—all held within a frame of radiant vermilion lacquer, the hue long prized by Korea’s royal court.

Its form descends from the munseoham, the document chest in which the scholarly households of the Joseon Dynasty kept their family records, deeds, and most treasured writings—and, before it, from the mother-of-pearl sutra boxes of the Goryeo Dynasty, made to guard the Buddhist scriptures. Generously proportioned to receive sacred texts, manuscripts, letters, and heirloom documents, it carries forward a centuries-old lineage of vessels created to protect what is most precious, and to pass it, intact, to the generations that follow.

Meet Choi Tae-hwa, designated in 2017 as Grand Master of Korea No. 623 in Lacquer and Woodcraft—an official title conferred by the Republic of Korea upon the very few who have devoted a lifetime to the highest mastery of their craft, and attested by a certificate issued in the name of the President. Across more than fifty-seven years at the lacquer bench, he has taken part in the restoration of wooden relics at Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in conservation work for the National Palace Museum of Korea. Bongseo Odong stands among the works he regards as his own signatures: from the first drawing to the final polish, every lacquer, every shell, and every shade of iridescence was weighed, chosen, and composed by the Grand Master himself. Watch the Film

Explore his representative works through our films: witness the making, understand the heritage, and discover why each piece is more than an object—a collectible expression of tradition, restraint, and enduring value.

THE SYMBOLISM

The Phoenix and the Paulownia — An ancient saying of the East holds that the phoenix will rest upon no tree but the paulownia. The Book of Odes (詩經), sung more than two and a half millennia ago, records: “The phoenixes cry upon yonder lofty ridge; the paulownias grow there, facing the morning sun.” It is this very verse that the Grand Master has brought to life upon the lid—the sun rising, the paulownia standing, and the noble birds arriving at last at a place worthy of them. It speaks of a quiet truth: that what is rare and noble returns, in time, to the place where it belongs.

The Four Gentlemen — Along the sides bloom the Four Gentlemen—plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo—whom the scholars of Korea kept beside them as lifelong teachers in the cultivation of the mind:

• Plum (梅) — perseverance, the first to flower in the deepest cold of winter
• Orchid (蘭) — noble integrity, breathing its fragrance alone in a hidden valley
• Chrysanthemum (菊) — unwavering resolve that does not yield beneath the frost
• Bamboo (竹) — humility, standing upright while remaining empty within

A Hundred Longevities, a Hundred Blessings — Within, the inner tray bears the characters Baeksu Baekbok (百壽百福), rendered in mother-of-pearl of many hues: a wish for a hundred kinds of long life and a hundred kinds of blessing. Each time the lid is lifted, it offers a quiet prayer for the health and long years of the one who keeps it.

The Grand Master’s Signature in Gold — Beside a chrysanthemum in full bloom, one side bears the Grand Master’s signature, inscribed in gold powder: “Grand Master of Korea No. 623, Choi Tae-hwa”—a mark of authorship and provenance that will remain with the work for generations.

THE CRAFT — MADE TO ENDURE A THOUSAND YEARS

Mass-produced “mother-of-pearl boxes” may appear similar in photographs, yet they are entirely different works—in material, in time, and in the span of their lives. Every masterpiece by Grand Master Choi is shaped through the traditional Korean najeonchilgi method, without compromise:

• Natural ottchil lacquer, fifteen or more coats — Only the finest lacquer, drawn from long-grown lacquer trees in the deep mountains of Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do, is used. A single tree yields a mere 150 to 200 grams, which is why Koreans have long called it “a material as precious as gold.” Each coat is cured slowly, one at a time, in the atelier’s dedicated curing chamber.
• Bound in hemp cloth — Hemp cloth is laid by hand over the wooden core, uniting wood, lacquer, and shell into a single, resilient whole that resists warping—the same tradition that allows Goryeo and Joseon lacquerware to survive nearly flawless, centuries later.
• Abalone and turban shell, cut by hand — Only shell of exceptional color, quality, and luminosity is chosen: deep-blue abalone for the ground, and luminous turban shell for the most important passages, such as the phoenixes’ plumage. Each piece is cut, shaped, and set by hand, through both jureumjil, in which shell is cut into sculpted forms, and kkeuneumjil, in which fine threads of shell are snapped and laid, line by line.
• Painted in gold powder by the Grand Master — Once the shell is set, the Grand Master paints directly with natural gold powder, lending feather, leaf, and petal a living depth.
• Polished dozens of times with natural charcoal — After dozens of applications of lacquer, the surface is ground and polished again and again with natural charcoal, until the light hidden beneath the lacquer emerges and every face becomes a near-perfect, mirror-like plane. Run a fingertip across it, and you will not find the boundary between shell and lacquer.
• Wholly natural, from beginning to end — Wood, lacquer, hemp, shell, gold, and charcoal: every material comes from nature, and no chemical materials are used at any stage of the process.

Natural lacquer is a living material. It gently regulates humidity—which is why Korea has entrusted its most precious scriptures and documents to lacquered chests for centuries—and it resists decay, insects, water, heat, and acids. Once fully cured, it is entirely benign to the touch. And with the passing of years, the lacquer and nacre deepen in color, glowing richer and more resonant a decade on than on the day the work was completed.

No two works in the world are alike. Even within the same design, the play of shell and light differs with every piece—making Bongseo Odong a singular work, one of one.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Work: Bongseo Odong (鳳棲梧桐) · Twin Phoenixes Beneath the Rising Sun
• Formal Title: Lacquer Document Chest with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay of Phoenixes, Paulownia, and the Four Gentlemen (螺鈿漆鳳凰梧桐四君子文文書函)
• Grand Master: Choi Tae-hwa, Grand Master of Korea No. 623 — Lacquer and Woodcraft (designated 2017)
• Dimensions: W 47.9 × D 38.3 × H 23.3 cm (approx. 18.9 × 15.1 × 9.2 in)
• Weight: 5.76 kg (approx. 12.7 lb)
• Materials: Natural ottchil lacquer (vermilion frame, black lacquer ground), hand-selected abalone and turban shell, gold powder, hemp cloth, wood
• Techniques: Najeon (jureumjil and kkeuneumjil), fifteen or more coats of natural lacquer, gold-powder painting, charcoal polishing
• Completed: 2025
• Signature: The Grand Master’s signature in gold powder, on the side
• Edition: One of a kind

ACCOMPANYING EVERY MASTERPIECE

• Certificate of Authenticity — signed by the Grand Master, recording the work, materials, dimensions, year of completion, and a unique Record ID
• Provenance Record — a permanent record of the work’s origin, its confirmed author, and its identifying features
• Secure Delivery Documentation — insured, fully tracked international delivery in bespoke protective packaging
• Care & Conservation Guide — guidance on keeping and caring for lacquer and mother-of-pearl, so that the work may be handed down for generations

Signature Legacy presents only the works of masters officially recognized by the Republic of Korea, each verified at the master’s own atelier from the very first stage of its making.

OWN WHAT CANNOT BE RECREATED

A masterpiece by a nationally recognized Korean heritage master is never a mass-produced object. It is a singular work of time, memory, and handcraft — created in extremely limited numbers, using techniques that few living artisans can still command.

At any given moment, no more than one or two examples of this masterpiece exist in the world. If a completed work is available, it is dispatched immediately upon your order, fully insured. Should you wish to commission a similar work, its creation begins the day your order is confirmed, and the piece made uniquely for you will typically arrive within 30 days to 6 months — the exact timeline shaped by its scale, intricacy, and the Master’s own hand.

The time you spend waiting becomes part of the artistic value of a work that exists only once in the world.

As these traditions grow rarer with each passing year, every authenticated work carries a deeper cultural significance, a quieter scarcity, and a value that only grows with time.

For the collector who seeks the truly irreplaceable, this is more than an acquisition. It is the privilege of commissioning a one-of-a-kind Korean masterpiece — and of becoming part of its story.

AN ORIGINAL, EVERY TIME — CONFIRMED BEFORE IT IS BORN

Each Signature Legacy masterpiece is shaped entirely by hand by a nationally recognized Korean Heritage Holder or Master Craftsman — an artist working from decades of instinct, never from a fixed template. The spirit of a Master's hand carries through every piece he creates; yet no two mother-of-pearl compositions, and no two works, are ever exactly alike.

Before your commission begins, our Collector Concierge shares the Master's proposed design and pattern for your specific piece. Only once you have reviewed and given your approval does the Master's hand begin its work — ensuring that the masterpiece born for you exists, in form and spirit, for you alone.

NATURE-DERIVED MATERIALS · CERTIFIED NON-TOXIC PROCESS

Each work is crafted through a certified non-toxic heritage process, using materials drawn carefully from nature. Following Korean craft methods preserved for more than a thousand years, every masterpiece is built by hand with patience, purity, and the quiet discipline of a master artisan.