Calligraphy by Han Ho

The two volumes, upper and lower, of Calligraphy by Han Ho — Seokbong Han Ho's Book of Formal Script contain twenty-one poems and prose pieces by his close friend Choi Rip (pen name Ganidang, 1539–1612), copied out in neat formal script (haeseo) by Han Ho (pen name Seokbong, 1543–1605), the celebrated calligrapher of King Seonjo's reign. At the back of the lower volume is a further piece of calligraphy, a five-character regulated poem by Li Bai written in cursive script. The mounting dates from the modern period, and the title slip, reading Seokbong Han Ho Seonsaeng Haeseocheop, was written by the calligraphy and painting dealer Won Chung-hui. Among Han Ho's surviving works in formal script are his writing of the royal commissions conferring merit-subject status on the Hoseong and Seonmu Meritorious Subjects, and these pieces well display the distinctive style of Han Ho, who rose through the ranks as a scribe at the Seungmunwon, the office of diplomatic correspondence. In this light, this Book of Formal Script is important for preserving the typical hand of the scribe Han Ho. It is well preserved and contains a substantial body of copied text, and its value is further enhanced by a colophon at the end of the lower volume, dated the ninth month of 1803 and written by Eom Gye-eung (1737–1816), son of the eighteenth-century cursive-script master Eom Han-bung (pen name Manhyangjae, 1685–1759).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물