'Yuseolgyeongdaejang' and 'Portrait of Kwon Sang-ha' Designated as Treasures
"Printed in the smallest size among Gyeongjaja texts"
Portraits depicting elderly scholars from the Joseon Dynasty and guidebooks for the civil service examination are being preserved as treasures.
The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 22nd that four items, including the 'Portrait of Kwon Sang-ha' painted by Kim Jin-yeo (1675?1760), a painter from Pyongyang, have been designated as treasures.
The portrait of Kwon Sang-ha is enshrined at Hwanggang Yeongdang in Jecheon, Chungbuk Province. Kwon Sang-ha (1641?1721) was a legitimate successor of the Giho school of thought. He is known to have inherited the scholarship and academic lineage of Song Si-yeol (1607?1689), also known as Uam (尤庵). His representative works include 'Hansujae Collection (寒水齋集)' and 'Samseojibui (三書輯疑)'.
The painting contains the inscription 'Hansuo (referring to Kwon Sang-ha) 79 years old portrait (寒水翁七十九歲眞)'. This indicates that the subject of the portrait is Kwon Sang-ha and that it depicts him at the age of seventy-nine. It is also understood that the painter Kim Jin-yeo, who participated in creating King Sukjong’s royal portrait (御眞), made this work in 1719.
The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "With soft brushstrokes and an emphasis on three-dimensional expression, it effectively conveys Kwon Sang-ha’s upright character," adding, "Its well-preserved condition also adds to its value."
Also designated as a treasure is the 'Yuseol Gyeonghak Daejang (類說經學隊仗)', housed at Jonggyeonggak of Sungkyunkwan University. This book summarizes 148 key topics of Confucian classics that appeared in the civil service examination. It is composed of three volumes: upper, middle, and lower.
It is estimated that the smallest-sized metal movable type among the Gyeongja typefaces (庚子字) from the early Joseon period was used in its production. The Gyeongja typeface was made of copper in 1420. The Cultural Heritage Administration evaluated it as "a rare material printed entirely with the smallest size of Gyeongja type, making it extremely important for bibliographic research."
The Cultural Heritage Administration also designated two Buddhist cultural heritages as treasures: the 'Wooden Triad of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Ten Kings of the Underworld and Associated Burial Artifacts from Bulgapsa Temple in Yeonggwang' and the 'Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha Statue from Eunjuksa Temple in Haenam.'
The former was completed in 1654 and enshrined in the Myeongbujeon Hall of Bulgapsa Temple. Its original form has been preserved, providing valuable insight into Buddhist faith and sculpture during the late Joseon period. The latter is regarded as an artifact embodying the sculptural and artistic qualities of the late Silla and early Goryeo periods.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
