Yiwangjik Workshop was the predecessor of the Hanseong Art Workshop, established in 1908 by the Great Korean Empire for the purpose of producing
traditional art works for the royal household. In 1911, a year after the Japanese Annexation of Korea, it was placed under the jurisdiction of the
Government-General of Korea, changing its name to "Yiwangjik Art Workshop". It was located close to Gwanghwamun-dori, a flourishing area in Gyeongseong
(Japanese: Keijo, present-day Seoul). The workshop seems to had been producing a wide range of articles, from high-grade luxury products to low-prices goods.
An inlaid box (left) and a bronze vase (right) from the Yiwangjik workshop.
In 1922, the workshop turned itself into "Joseon Art Workshop, Ltd.", producing various goods such as "gold, silver and bronze
vessels, lacquer ware with mother-of-pearl inlay decoration and Goryeo-style porcelain", although it is said that it was shut down around 1937 due to financial difficulties.
