Epitaph Tablet for Yi Munseong (1503-1575), from a Set of 7

Korean

1 of 2

Caption

Korean. Epitaph Tablet for Yi Munseong (1503-1575), from a Set of 7, circa 1579. Porcelain with underglaze, 9 7/16 × 7 7/8 in. (24 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Carroll Family Collection, 2017.29.24. No known copyright restrictions

Culture

Korean

Title

Epitaph Tablet for Yi Munseong (1503-1575), from a Set of 7

Date

circa 1579

Dynasty

Joseon dynasty

Geography

Place made: Korea

Medium

Porcelain with underglaze

Classification

Commemorative

Dimensions

9 7/16 × 7 7/8 in. (24 × 20 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Carroll Family Collection

Accession Number

2017.29.24

Rights

No known copyright restrictions

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Frequent Art Questions

  • For the Epitaph Plaques, why is the text in Chinese instead of Korean?

    Many people wonder the same thing. Hangul, the syllabary you recognize as Korean, is actually incredibly young. It was invented in the 1440s by King Sejong, along with a group of linguists, with the goal of inventing a writing system that would better fit with the spoken Korean language and allow the common people to communicate more easily with the government.
    Many scholars and nobles continued to use Chinese characters for centuries afterwards, however, as they were reluctant to give up the power that came with being literate where commoners weren't.
    It's also "fancier," having a similar effect as Latin used in modern Christian contexts.
    Ahhh I see. Thanks!

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