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| ▲ Celebration Banquet for the 71st Anniversary of Queen Dowager Hyojeong, Imperial Banquet in the Sinchuk YearPark Yonghun (b. 1841), and 6 other painters, Korean Empire, 1901, Ink and color on silk [courtesy of National Museum of Korea] |
The National Museum of Korea's permanent exhibition "The First Imperial Banquet of Korean Empire" is currently showing at the Calligraphy and Painting section.
Royal events from the Joseon period through the Korean Empire era were regularly painted. However, the commissioners of these paintings and their intentions differed according to the period. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, officials in charge of royal events generally commissioned the production of such paintings in an effort to strengthen solidarity. In the mid-eighteenth century, those in charge of royal events commissioned the production of paintings and offered them to the Joseon royal family. Starting from the late eighteenth century, Joseon kings began to take interest in the production of these paintings. Accordingly, the king's political motivations behind royal events came to be reflected in some of these paintings.
In the fifth lunar month of 1901 (a Sinchuk year), an Imperial banquet was held at Gyeongungung Palace (present-day Deoksugung Palace) to celebrate the seventy-first birthday of Queen Hyojeong (1831-1904) (the second consort of King Heonjong; later honored as Empress Dowager Myeong-heon), who was an elderly member of the imperial family of the Korean Empire (1897-1910). A folding screen entitled Imperial Banquet in the Sinchuk Year was produced depicting scenes of five events of the banquet that was held over several days. This folding screen ' that portrays the first Imperial banquet held after the proclamation of Korean Empire is particularly significant in that it displays items and clothing that were considered to suit the new imperial status of Korea. In this light, Imperial Banquet in the sinchuk Year, which depicts the first imperial banquet held by the Korean Empire, embodies the intentions of Emperors Gojong and Imperial Prince Sunjong to strengthen the position of the imperial family.
The 1st and 2nd Panels
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| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Junghwajeon Hall on the 1st Day of the 1st Lunar Month of 1901.
The Imperial Prince and the Officials Offer Their Congratulations to the Emperor In the precincts of Junghwajeon Hall (present-day Jeukjodang Hall) at Gyeongungung Palace, the Imperial Prince and all the officials of the imperial court gathered to hold a congratulatory rite for celebrating the fiftieth birthday of Emperor Gojong and the seventy-first birthday of Queen Hyojeong. In paintings depicting royal events, royal family members are represented by folding screens and chairs. In these panels, a yellow chair set for Emperor Gojong is placed in the middle of the Junghwajeon Hall in front of a folding screen with images of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks. To the right of the yellow royal seat for Emperor Gojong is a seat for the Imperial Prince. To the left of the podium outside the Junghwajeon Hall is a fluttering taegeukgi (Korean flag), the emblem of the Korean Empire. On both sides of the yard in front of Junghwajeon Hall are officials and musicians playing royal music. They are surrounded by soldiers clad in modern outfits and ceremonial guards holding flags and wearing yellow garments.
The 3rd and 4th Panels
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| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall on the Morning on the 13th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
A Banquet for Queen Hyojeong is Held.
An "inner banquet" in honor of Queen Hyojeong was held in Gyeongundang Hall (present-day Junmyeongdang Hall). Participants in this inner banquet included Emperor Gojong, the Imperial Prince, the Imperial Princess, royal relatives, inner and outer court ladies, and the officials who prepared the banquet. A red chair for Queen Hyojeong is placed in front of the folding screen of Ten Longevity Symbols in the center of Gyeongundang Hall. To the left of the chair is a seat for the Imperial Princess. Below them is a seat for the wife of Uichin, the second-eldest prince of Korean Empire. This inclusion is a new addition compared to the traditions of the past and appears to be related to the strengthening of the power of the imperial family. A temporary stage was installed in front of the hall and red woven screens were placed around the stage so that the male participants, such as musicians, could not see inside. However, seats for Emperor Gojong and the Imperial Prince were prepared on the stage. Yellow curtains instead of white ones were hung around the precincts of Gyeongungdang Hall as an indicator of the elevated status of Korea now that it was being ruled by emperors.
The 5th and 6th Panels
 |
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall at night on the13th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
A Banquet is Held Late at Night.
The nighttime banquet was held starting at 9 p.m. on the same day when a morning banquet was held. Queen Hyojeong, the guest of honor, Emperor Gojong, the host, and the Imperial Prince participated in this night banquet. Unlike at the inner banquet, women of the imperial family and royal relatives did not participate in the night banquet. Accordingly, seats and ceremonial objects representing them are absent. Instead, candles to light up the precincts of Gyeongundang Hall appear. These candles were placed above candlesticks or inside lanterns with glass shades, and. lanterns with red-and-blue silk shades were hung over the red woven screens and yellow curtains.
The 7th and 8th Panels
 |
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall on the 16th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
Emperor Gojong holds a Banquet.
Two days later, a banquet hosted by Emperor Gojong was held. The inner and outer court ladies as well as officials from the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets) participated. In front of a folding screen of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks in the middle of Gyeongundang Hall, a yellow royal seat suitable for the status of the Korean Empire is installed. Yellow curtains representing the new status are hung around the precincts of Gyeongundang Hall as well. Behind the yellow curtain in the left front of the hall are sitting mats for the inner and outer court ladies who are participating in the banquet. Jinchanso officials clad in dark green uniforms are seated outside the curtains.
The 9th Panel and The 10th Panel
 |
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
(Right)
Gyeongundang Hall on the 18th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
Crown Prince Holds a Banquet.
Two days after Emperor Gojong's banquet, a banquet hosted by the Imperial Prince (Sunjong) was held. Like in Emperor Gojong's banquet, participants included the inner and outer court ladies and officials from the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets). However, as the status of the banquet's host changed from emperor to imperial prince, different objects were used. In the center of Gyeongundang Hall is a red chair set against a Ten Longevity Symbols folding screen. Red tablecloths and curtains are used instead of yellow ones. The sitting mats for the inner and outer court ladies are shown in the lower left of the hall in the middle ground of the panel, and the Jinchanso officials are depicted sitting in the lower section of the panel.
(Left)
The List of Officials Who Prepared the Banquets.
This is a list of the officials who belonged to the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets) that prepared the banquets in the fifth lunar month of 1901 and produced the paintings. The posts and names of three dangsang (high-level supervising officials) and four nangcheong (working-level officials) are recorded in the order of their ranks. Unlike in the Joseon Dynasty, an officials from the Gungnaebu (Ministry of the Royal Household) was appointed as dangsang. The Gungnaebu came to hold great power as the central government office responsible for major affairs of the Korean Empire. It eventually served as the foundation of Emperor Gojong's enhancement of royal sovereignty.
"The First Imperial Banquet of Korean Empire" continues until December 25.
Sayart.net
Rachel Bae sungmin.b.213@gmail.com
Celebration Banquet for the 71st Anniversary of Queen Dowager Hyojeong
Imperial Banquet in the Sinchuk Year
|
| ▲ Celebration Banquet for the 71st Anniversary of Queen Dowager Hyojeong, Imperial Banquet in the Sinchuk YearPark Yonghun (b. 1841), and 6 other painters, Korean Empire, 1901, Ink and color on silk [courtesy of National Museum of Korea] |
The National Museum of Korea's permanent exhibition "The First Imperial Banquet of Korean Empire" is currently showing at the Calligraphy and Painting section.
Royal events from the Joseon period through the Korean Empire era were regularly painted. However, the commissioners of these paintings and their intentions differed according to the period. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, officials in charge of royal events generally commissioned the production of such paintings in an effort to strengthen solidarity. In the mid-eighteenth century, those in charge of royal events commissioned the production of paintings and offered them to the Joseon royal family. Starting from the late eighteenth century, Joseon kings began to take interest in the production of these paintings. Accordingly, the king's political motivations behind royal events came to be reflected in some of these paintings.
In the fifth lunar month of 1901 (a Sinchuk year), an Imperial banquet was held at Gyeongungung Palace (present-day Deoksugung Palace) to celebrate the seventy-first birthday of Queen Hyojeong (1831-1904) (the second consort of King Heonjong; later honored as Empress Dowager Myeong-heon), who was an elderly member of the imperial family of the Korean Empire (1897-1910). A folding screen entitled Imperial Banquet in the Sinchuk Year was produced depicting scenes of five events of the banquet that was held over several days. This folding screen ' that portrays the first Imperial banquet held after the proclamation of Korean Empire is particularly significant in that it displays items and clothing that were considered to suit the new imperial status of Korea. In this light, Imperial Banquet in the sinchuk Year, which depicts the first imperial banquet held by the Korean Empire, embodies the intentions of Emperors Gojong and Imperial Prince Sunjong to strengthen the position of the imperial family.
The 1st and 2nd Panels
|
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Junghwajeon Hall on the 1st Day of the 1st Lunar Month of 1901.
The Imperial Prince and the Officials Offer Their Congratulations to the Emperor In the precincts of Junghwajeon Hall (present-day Jeukjodang Hall) at Gyeongungung Palace, the Imperial Prince and all the officials of the imperial court gathered to hold a congratulatory rite for celebrating the fiftieth birthday of Emperor Gojong and the seventy-first birthday of Queen Hyojeong. In paintings depicting royal events, royal family members are represented by folding screens and chairs. In these panels, a yellow chair set for Emperor Gojong is placed in the middle of the Junghwajeon Hall in front of a folding screen with images of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks. To the right of the yellow royal seat for Emperor Gojong is a seat for the Imperial Prince. To the left of the podium outside the Junghwajeon Hall is a fluttering taegeukgi (Korean flag), the emblem of the Korean Empire. On both sides of the yard in front of Junghwajeon Hall are officials and musicians playing royal music. They are surrounded by soldiers clad in modern outfits and ceremonial guards holding flags and wearing yellow garments.
The 3rd and 4th Panels
|
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall on the Morning on the 13th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
A Banquet for Queen Hyojeong is Held.
An "inner banquet" in honor of Queen Hyojeong was held in Gyeongundang Hall (present-day Junmyeongdang Hall). Participants in this inner banquet included Emperor Gojong, the Imperial Prince, the Imperial Princess, royal relatives, inner and outer court ladies, and the officials who prepared the banquet. A red chair for Queen Hyojeong is placed in front of the folding screen of Ten Longevity Symbols in the center of Gyeongundang Hall. To the left of the chair is a seat for the Imperial Princess. Below them is a seat for the wife of Uichin, the second-eldest prince of Korean Empire. This inclusion is a new addition compared to the traditions of the past and appears to be related to the strengthening of the power of the imperial family. A temporary stage was installed in front of the hall and red woven screens were placed around the stage so that the male participants, such as musicians, could not see inside. However, seats for Emperor Gojong and the Imperial Prince were prepared on the stage. Yellow curtains instead of white ones were hung around the precincts of Gyeongungdang Hall as an indicator of the elevated status of Korea now that it was being ruled by emperors.
The 5th and 6th Panels
|
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall at night on the13th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
A Banquet is Held Late at Night.
The nighttime banquet was held starting at 9 p.m. on the same day when a morning banquet was held. Queen Hyojeong, the guest of honor, Emperor Gojong, the host, and the Imperial Prince participated in this night banquet. Unlike at the inner banquet, women of the imperial family and royal relatives did not participate in the night banquet. Accordingly, seats and ceremonial objects representing them are absent. Instead, candles to light up the precincts of Gyeongundang Hall appear. These candles were placed above candlesticks or inside lanterns with glass shades, and. lanterns with red-and-blue silk shades were hung over the red woven screens and yellow curtains.
The 7th and 8th Panels
|
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
Gyeongundang Hall on the 16th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
Emperor Gojong holds a Banquet.
Two days later, a banquet hosted by Emperor Gojong was held. The inner and outer court ladies as well as officials from the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets) participated. In front of a folding screen of the Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks in the middle of Gyeongundang Hall, a yellow royal seat suitable for the status of the Korean Empire is installed. Yellow curtains representing the new status are hung around the precincts of Gyeongundang Hall as well. Behind the yellow curtain in the left front of the hall are sitting mats for the inner and outer court ladies who are participating in the banquet. Jinchanso officials clad in dark green uniforms are seated outside the curtains.
The 9th Panel and The 10th Panel
|
| ▲ [photo by Rachel Bae] |
(Right)
Gyeongundang Hall on the 18th Day of the 5th Lunar Month of 1901.
Crown Prince Holds a Banquet.
Two days after Emperor Gojong's banquet, a banquet hosted by the Imperial Prince (Sunjong) was held. Like in Emperor Gojong's banquet, participants included the inner and outer court ladies and officials from the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets). However, as the status of the banquet's host changed from emperor to imperial prince, different objects were used. In the center of Gyeongundang Hall is a red chair set against a Ten Longevity Symbols folding screen. Red tablecloths and curtains are used instead of yellow ones. The sitting mats for the inner and outer court ladies are shown in the lower left of the hall in the middle ground of the panel, and the Jinchanso officials are depicted sitting in the lower section of the panel.
(Left)
The List of Officials Who Prepared the Banquets.
This is a list of the officials who belonged to the Jinchanso (the office of superintendency of royal banquets) that prepared the banquets in the fifth lunar month of 1901 and produced the paintings. The posts and names of three dangsang (high-level supervising officials) and four nangcheong (working-level officials) are recorded in the order of their ranks. Unlike in the Joseon Dynasty, an officials from the Gungnaebu (Ministry of the Royal Household) was appointed as dangsang. The Gungnaebu came to hold great power as the central government office responsible for major affairs of the Korean Empire. It eventually served as the foundation of Emperor Gojong's enhancement of royal sovereignty.
"The First Imperial Banquet of Korean Empire" continues until December 25.
Sayart.net
Rachel Bae sungmin.b.213@gmail.com
