Gongju Oryongnigwibu

A gwibu is the term for the base of a stone stele, usually shaped like a turtle. This gwibu was made to support the sindobi (a memorial stele recording the lifetime achievements of a king or senior official, erected near his tomb) of Prince Sungseon, son of King Injo, the sixteenth ruler of Joseon, but work was halted before the stele itself could be erected, leaving only the turtle base. Prince Sungseon's given name was Jing; he was King Injo's fifth son, and his mother was Lady Jo, who held the court rank of Gwiin. In 1651, the second year of King Hyojong, he was exiled to Ganghwado Island for being implicated in the treasonous plot of Kim Ja-jeom, the grandfather-in-law of his sister Princess Hyomyeong, but he was released in 1656, the seventh year of King Hyojong, and had his official rank and status restored. The gwibu was made from a square base stone and a single large stone block. The head, which juts far forward, has been shaped into the form of a dragon; the neck is decorated with a scale pattern, and the back is fitted with a bija (stele seat), the socket for holding the stele slab. Compared with the gwibu of the Unified Silla and Goryeo periods, the carving is less skilful, but it appears vigorous overall, making it a work of the mid-Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산