Geunjeongjeon Jeongsido Mit Yeongusi Folding Screen

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2283

Category

Painting

Era

1747년(조선 영조 23)

Designated year

2025

Location

종로구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 종로구 새문안로 55(신문로2가, 서울역사박물관)

Coordinates

37.570497, 126.971075Kakao address conversion

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

The Screen of Geungjeong Hall Courtyard Examination and Scholarly Poetry Gathering, housed in the Seoul History Museum, documents the 1747 celebration honoring Queen Consort Inmyeon (spouse of King Sukjong) upon her sixtieth birthday anniversary celebration at the former grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The screen's composition and records precisely accord with official court records from the Sukjong Sillok and the Seungjeongwon Daily Records. This eight-panel composition presents the Geungjeong Hall courtyard examination held to commemorate elevation of the Queen's honorific title. The first panel depicts the courtyard examination setting with Baekak Mountain rendered in the upper register, the royal audience pavilion with ceremonial canopy and imperial seating dominating the central composition, and the Youngjae Bridge and imperial pathway depicted in the lower register. King Yeongjo selected fifteen scholars including Yi Yusu from the examination. The second panel presents King Yeongjo's imperial poetic composition reading 'Establishment and restoration constitute the perpetual law of myriad generations; the dragon crouches and tiger reclines in the walled city of Hanyang,' referencing both the establishment of the dynasty and the significance of the Gyeongbokgung site. Panels three through eight display the responding poetry composed by fifty court officials, distributed across six panels with varying numbers of participants. The responding poetry follows the King's rhyme scheme while maintaining arrangement according to seating order rather than official rank. This work represents a relatively early example of illustrated screen documentation of royal ceremonies and possesses significant art-historical value as a precisely dated work. Detailed depiction of Gyeongbokgung Palace locations including Gwanghwamun Gate, Geungjeong Hall, and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion permits clear identification of the historical site configuration, while participant attribution and textual content facilitate comprehension of the work's commemorative context. The visual documentation demonstrates King Yeongjo's emphasis on the significance of the former palace site, and the concentration of key political figures executing the King's dynastic harmony policies among the responding poets visually articulates Yeongjo's political philosophy and national governance methodology. Transcending mere ceremonial documentation, this work constitutes a significant resource visually embodying Yeongjo's political philosophy and administrative practices.

Location