Stele for the Private Residence Site of King Injo, Seoul

This stone stele was erected in the 21st year of King Sukjong (1695) to commemorate the private villa where King Injo (r. 1623-1649), the 16th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, had lived before ascending the throne through the Injo Restoration, the uprising that removed his predecessor. It is valuable as historical material attesting to important facts and the actual site associated with the Injo Restoration. Its title inscription, written in the royal calligraphy of King Sukjong, the 19th ruler of Joseon, reads "Stele on the Site of the Private Villa Where the Great King Injo Once Resided as a Hidden Dragon", and its value is further enhanced by the fact that the text on the reverse, composed by King Sukjong himself, was written out by Yi Hang, Prince Dongpyeong. In terms of its form, too, the stele is significant: its turtle-shaped base continues the tradition of the early Joseon style that emerged under Chinese influence, while its capstone, using a plain house-roof shape in place of an isu, a capstone carved with intertwined dragons, perfectly demonstrates the characteristics of the later Joseon stele style, making it valuable material for tracing the development of stele art in the Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물