Early Joseon-era painting of government officials' gathering unveiled

Choi Eung-chon, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks during a press briefing announcing the acquisition of "Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study," a rare painting from the 16th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Rare painting returns to Korea

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A painting from the 16th-century Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), titled "Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study," has been unveiled for the first time after it was made approximately 490 years ago.

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) on Wednesday unveiled the painting, which had been owned by Japanese collectors since early 1900s, although how and when it had been initially taken away from Korea is unknown. It was put up for auction in the U.S. in March, which was when the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation acquired it.

The painting was created to commemorate a gathering of government officials participating in the "sagadokseo," a sabbatical leave program allowing young, talented civil servants to do full-time independent study and research instead of administering government affairs, during the reign of King Jungjong (1506-1544).

It is the earliest among the three surviving paintings of the set, "Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study," known as "Dokseodang gyehoedo" in Korean, from the 16th century. From the names and titles of the sagadokseo participants written at the bottom of the painting, the CHA suspects the painting was created in 1531. It also demonstrates key characteristics of landscape painting during the early Joseon Kingdom

"The painting is very rare as a work in which its production period is able to be deciphered, that is, from the early Joseon Kingdom ― a period from which there are few surviving works of art ― and moreover as a masterpiece representative of 'real scenery landscape paintings' of the time," Choi Eung-chon, the head of the CHA, said during a press briefing held at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Wednesday.

Real scenery landscape painting ("singyeongsansu" in Korean) is a style of East Asian painting depicting actual landscapes.

Seen above is "Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study," a painting from the 16th century describing a gathering of government officials on sabbatical in the Joseon Kingdom / Yonhap

The seal script on the upper part of the painting reads "Dokseodang gyehoedo" in Korean, meaning "Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study." Dokseodang was an institution promoting study and research and was used for the sagadokseo program until its destruction during the Japanese Invasions of Korea (1592-1598).

The middle ground of the painting depicts the Dumopo area (now Oksu-dong, Seongdong District in Seoul) along the banks of the Han River with Mount Eungbong (also known as Mount Maebong) in the center. It features a riverside landscape with a pavilion. At the top of the path leading from the riverside is the Dokseodang, shrouded in fog with only its roof peeking through. Participants in the gathering dressed in officials' daily uniforms are seen enjoying a boat ride along the river.

Details about the 12 participants in the gathering, including their names, pen-names, years of birth, periods of participation in the sagadokseo program, years in which they passed the civil service exam, and official ranks and titles at the time of the gathering, are all written on the lower part of the painting.

The participants were young officials in their 20s to 30s who took part in the sagadokseo program between 1516 and 1530.

Among them are notable figures such as Ju Se-bung (1495-1554), who laid the foundation of Korean Neo-Confucian academies by establishing the Baegundong Confucian Academy; Song In-su (1499-1547), who was revered as a master of Neo-Confucianism; and Song Sun (1493-1582) who exceled in poetry and served in key posts of the government across five decades.

"Gathering of Officials at Dokseodang Study" will be open to the public as part of the special exhibition, "Treasures of Ours, Treasured by Others ― Journey of Korean Cultural Heritage," which will be held at the National Palace Museum of Korea from July 7 to Sept. 25.

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