Eulchukgap Assembly Painting

This painting depicts a gyehoe, a commemorative gathering of an association, held to celebrate the sixtieth birthdays of seven men of the same age, all born in the eulchuk year of 1625, the third year of King Injo. In composition it follows the typical three-tier format of early Joseon gyehoedo, paintings made to commemorate such gatherings: at the top is the title "Eulchukgap Assembly Painting" written in seal script, in the middle is the scene of the gathering, and at the bottom is the jwamok, a list of the names of those who attended. The titles of gyehoedo are usually written in black ink, but here it is written in red, a very rare example. The middle section, showing the eulchuk-year members of the association and their sons seated together at a feast, illustrates well a transitional style between the simplified gyehoedo manner of the early to mid-seventeenth century and the more elaborate style of "elegant gathering" paintings that developed in the eighteenth century: that is, it dispenses with background and brings the building close, placing emphasis on showing the portrait-like features of the figures in far greater detail. At the far left of the upper section, the date of the gathering is recorded as the eleventh month of "Sungjeong mu-in" (converted to the Western calendar, November 1698). However, the related record, the Jungnim Gapgye Munseo, a Chungbuk tangible heritage, states that this association of same-age members was formed in 1660 and that its gathering was held in 1686, the twelfth year of King Sukjong, when the members turned 62. This suggests that the date recorded in the painting, "Sungjeong mu-in", is a mistaken later addition for "Sungjeong byeong-in". Areas of flaking, such as the figures' faces and the building's floor, have been retouched with added brushwork and colour, and traces of retouching are also visible in the jwamok. Nevertheless, despite this partial retouching, the original form of the composition, including its mounting, has been relatively well preserved. It is a rare surviving Joseon-period painting of a gathering of men of the same age, and it is also valuable as material for examining in detail the changes in gyehoedo painting in the late seventeenth century and the customs of the time. It is further notable in that, whereas most surviving gyehoedo depict gatherings centred on government offices, this one shows a gathering of ordinary elderly commoners in the provinces.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산