Manuscript of Heo Mok

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.592-1

Category

Books & Records

Designated year

1975

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.523500, 126.980100Museum-based location

These paleographic compilations are by Heo Mok (pen-name: Misu, 1595-1682), a Confucian scholar of late Joseon. Heo Mok, famously remembered for his calligraphic works in seal script, became a student of Jeong Gu when he was twenty-three years of age. Under Jeong Gu, he became a spiritual heir of Yi Hwang (pen-name: Toegye), whom he deeply admired. He later passed on his scholarly heritage to Yi Ik, thereby helping to build a legacy and a tradition out of Yi Hwang’s system of thought. This group of items consists of twelve total volumes of books, including one volume of Donghaebicheop (Album of Donghaebi Epigraphs), two volumes of Geumseogunbu (Epigraphic Compilation) and nine volumes of Gomununbu (Compendium of Paleography by Consonance). All of them are major examples of Heo Mok’s seal script calligraphy and are of inestimable value for establishing his handwriting. Donghaebi whose full name is “Cheokju Donghaebi” is a stone stele located in Samcheok-gun. Numerous rubbings of this stele are said to have circulated. The characters in the epigraph were originally larger in size than the ones currently found on the stele. The original stele was washed away into the sea, and a new stele was later made to replace it. The epigraph on the new stele was based on Heo Mok’s copy, written in small characters. The item is 32.7㎝ by 50㎝. Geumseogunbu is a compilation of epigraphy containing nearly all ancient epigraphs in seal script. A lithographic facsimile edition was once published of this book. The item is 22.7㎝ by 34.5㎝. Gomununbu is an album of seal-script texts including epigraphs and handwriting found in ancient books and documents. The overall organizing principle is phonetic, based on the sound of the last syllable of a phrase or sentence. The text is first written in regular script, followed by the original version in seal script. This book is vaster in scope than Geumseogunbu, which is limited to epigraphs, as it also includes writing samples from ancient books and documents. The item is 22.7㎝ by 34.5㎝.

Location