Igyeongseok Gwejang Mit Sagwejang Yeonhoedo Album of Paintings

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.930

Category

Painting

Era

조선 현종 9년(1668)

Designated year

1987

Location

용인시, 경기도— 경기도 용인시 기흥구 상갈로 6 (상갈동, 경기도박물관)

Coordinates

37.268330, 127.108756

During the Joseon Dynasty, kings customarily granted a staff, a chair, and a palanquin to a senior official over 70 years old to show respect to them. These six items -- a chair, four staffs, and a painting -- were bestowed upon Yi Gyeong-seok in the 11th lunar month of 1668 (9th year of King Hyeonjong’s reign). 1) Chair: This is 93 cm tall and 77.4 cm wide. The seat of the chair is made of twisted cords to make the chair foldable. The barks of white birches wrapping the back surface of the chair and the supporting wood with the hole in the middle are two characteristic features. 2) Walking Staffs: There are four staffs: a 189.5 cm long one with a carved bird head on it, a 149.5 cm long staff with a sword in it, and two other 141 cm long, shovel-shaped staffs. The carved bird head, believed to be a duck, is inserted into one end of the staff. There are also two rings with chrysanthemum-shaped ornaments on the bird head-shaped staff. One staff has a straight middle body with a small shovel attached to one end. It is not known what kind of wood was used for the staff, but it is very light and soft. The second staff appears to be a rod, but it has a sword in it. Therefore, when the wooden handle is drawn, it changes into a sword. The blade is 60 cm long; including the handle, however, its total length is 80.4 cm. The other two staffs are shovel-shaped with iron shovels at the ends; one is for the summer and the other is for the winter. 3) Painting album: A banquet was usually thrown when the king granted a staff and a chair. Senior officials were invited to the banquets, with the king’s messages written by Yemungwan -- the government department responsible for making the king’s speeches -- read. The paintings in this album depict those scenes. “Jibyeong gwejangdo” portrays the moment of receiving the presents from the king, “Seondok gyoseodo” depicts the scene of reading the king’s message, and “Naeoe seonondo” shows the scene wherein the band and dancers sent from the palace are playing music and dancing, respectively. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was very rare for someone to live up to the age of 70 years even when he attains the highest position. Thus, these items, bestowed upon senior officials over 70 years old, are truly important treasures. The staffs and chairs were made in Gongjeon, the government department responsible for making industrial art objects, during the mid-Joseon Period. These artifacts show the production style and process of similar items from that time. Therefore, they are said to be representative art objects of the Joseon Dynasty. The painting album also has great artistic value as genre paintings.

Location