Calligraphy by Yi Ha-jin

Yi Ha-jin was a mid-Joseon-period literatus and master calligrapher of the seventeenth century. His clan seat was Yeoju, his courtesy name was Hagyeong, and his pen names were Maesan and Yugudang. He was the grandson of Yi Sang-ui (pen name Soreung, 1560–1624) and the son of Yi Ji-an (1601–1657). He passed the civil service examination in 1666 and served in posts including Second Counsellor (Daesagan), Rector of the National Academy (Daesaseong), Academician of the Office of Special Advisers (Yemungwan Jehak), and Second Vice Minister of War (Byeongjo Champan). His son Yi Seo (pen name Okdong, 1662–1723) was a scholar and master calligrapher, and Yi Seo's younger half-brother Yi Ik (pen name Seongho, 1681–1763) is well known as a Silhak (Practical Learning) scholar. Calligraphy by Yi Ha-jin: Cheongeum Muljeon has been handed down in the household of Yi Ha-jin's descendants. The cover bears the title "Cheongeum Muljeon" ("A Thousand in Gold, Never to Be Passed On"), with "gongsip" ("ten in total") written to its right, showing that the work originally comprised ten volumes (cheop), though the order of the individual volumes is not recorded. A list giving the opening phrase or title of the writing contained in each volume is attached to the cover. The pieces of calligraphy it contains include inscriptions (myeong) on objects he was fond of — a geomungo zither and cranes, poetry and wine, calligraphy and painting, swords and baduk, a long-life gourd, a nine-jointed staff, an old sword, a black zither, a writing desk, a baduk board, plum-tree storage, and unusual rocks — as well as large-character writings such as "East Mountain, Bright Moon, North Window, Cool Breeze" and "West of the Wall, Thatched Hall, Plum Pavilion, Bamboo Knoll," Tang poems in five- or seven-character quatrains, passages from the Confucian classics, poems on the twelve fragrant objects he admired for their scent (jade plum, azalea, orchid, lotus, red cassia, yellow chrysanthemum, pine, bamboo, pomegranate, camellia, pink, and wild ginger), and anecdotes about old literati who enjoyed reading and refined pursuits. No date of transcription is recorded. The work also bears several of Yi Ha-jin's seals, including "Yugudang" (intaglio/relief), "Maesan" (relief), "Hwangnyeo" (combined intaglio and relief), "Yi Ha-jin's Seal" (relief), and "Hagyeong" (relief). The writing is executed in the standard (haeseo), semi-cursive (haengseo) and cursive (choseo) scripts at various sizes. The standard script is based on Wang Xizhi's small standard script (sohae), but the strokes are somewhat soft and the composition rather loose. The semi-cursive script is close to a flowing version of the standard script and is somewhat rough. The cursive script, by contrast, shows very fine strokes in a free, rounded-brush (wonpil) manner, and its style is thought to have been influenced by his uncle Yi Ji-jeong (pen name Cheongseon, 1588–1650), who had studied the brush method of Hwang Gi-ro. Yi Ha-jin's style of writing was followed by his sons Yi Seo and Yi Ik, and by his disciple Yun Du-seo (pen name Gongjae, 1668–1715).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ansan, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물