Pyeongyangseongdo Folding Screen

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1997

Category

Painting

Designated year

2018

Location

미추홀구, 인천광역시— 인천광역시 미추홀구 비류대로55번길 68 (학익동, 송암미술관)

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

The Fortified City of Pyeongyang on Folding Screen (Pyeongyangseongdo Byeongpung) is an eight-panel folding screen mounted with a large painting of the fortified city of Pyeongyang, which flourished during the late Joseon period. While most of the surviving paintings of Pyeongyang and its historic fortifications date back to the nineteenth century, this particular painting seems to have been created earlier, as suggested by inclusion of the Command Post (Jangdae) and Aeryeondang Hall near Daedonggang River, which burned down in 1804 and were rebuilt in 1890. Certain elements of the older style, such as the ample use of green with hardly any blue, the depiction of buildings with no shading, and the lack of human figures suggest that this painting dates back to the late eighteenth century, making it the oldest known painting of Pyeongyangseong to date. Art historians generally agree that this painting of fortified Pyeongyang mounted on a folding screen is as an important part of the Korean artistic heritage due to its size, production date, and artistic perfection, as well as its confirmation of the significance of Pyeongyang in Korean history, and thus is a valuable material for the study of fortified towns during the late Joseon period.