'Yojiyondo' Unveiled After 50 Years

Exhibition of 'Sinseondo' 12-Panel Folding Screen Displayed in the Royal Court Calligraphy and Painting Room at the National Palace Museum

Summary Map

The Joseon royal folding screen 'Yojiyondo (瑤池宴圖)', which returned to the United States after more than 50 years, was unveiled on the 27th at the Court Painting and Calligraphy Room of the National Palace Museum of Korea.

It is a large folding screen measuring 5.04 meters wide and 2.21 meters tall. It depicts the Queen Mother of the West from ancient Chinese legend inviting King Mu of Zhou to a banquet at the Yozhi pond on Mount Kunlun, the land of immortals. Through the Taoist theme of immortality, it expresses wishes for the long-lasting prosperity of the nation and dynasty. A museum official explained, "It is a type of immortal painting that was popular in the late Joseon court."

This work was owned by a private individual in the United States until last year. The owner's father purchased it over 50 years ago while serving in the US Forces Korea and brought it to the United States. The Cultural Heritage Administration bought it for 2 billion won through a domestic auction house last year and transferred it to the National Palace Museum of Korea.

At the time of the auction, the mounting (裝潢, the decorative silk or thick paper covering) was estimated to be from a later period than the time of creation, leading to differing opinions on the timing of the framing (表具, the paper or fabric backing or border). The Cultural Heritage Administration discovered that the backing paper (褙接紙, multiple layers of paper or cloth pasted together) on the reverse side of one panel contained the 1957 Chosun Ilbo newspaper and the 1959 Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, confirming that the framing was done in Korea before the owner took it to the United States.

Freshness

Representative Yojiyondo folding screens known so far are held by the National Museum of Korea and the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum. All were created in the 18th to 19th centuries. The Yojiyondo unveiled this time was also made before the 19th century. A museum official explained, "Yojiyondo commonly features the Queen Mother of the West and King Mu with a banquet table in front of them, but in this newly revealed work, instead of banquet attendants, there are maidservants playing various musical instruments, enhancing the festive atmosphere."

The National Palace Museum of Korea also exhibited a 12-panel folding screen of 'Immortal Paintings' made in the modern period. A museum official said, "Each panel depicts immortals with auspicious meanings from Chinese classical stories, allowing viewers to appreciate the chronological changes in court immortal paintings of the late Joseon period."