Medium: Six-panel folding screen: ink and color on silk
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:17th century
Dimensions: Overall: 90 3/16 × 120 1/2 in. (229 × 306 cm) Each image: 75 9/16 × 112 5/8 in. (192 × 286 cm)
Collections:
Accession Number: L2022.2.4
Image: L2022.2.4.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Six panels forming a continuous composition: a birds-eye view of a royal palace complex, set in a partially wooded area, populated by multiple small figures. The focal point is the main courtyard of the palace (depicted on the two central panels), where the ruler is shown enthroned in an open pavilion, receiving individuals who stand in the courtyard. Outside of the courtyard gate stand six elephants, presumably a gift from a visiting dignitary. Additional vignettes depict palace life in other courtyards and pavilions, while the left panels show emmissaries waiting to enter outside a side gate, and an open field with figures on horseback flying banners. The painting is not signed or sealed, but based on the pigments, silk ground, and quality of painting is likely the product of the Official Painting Bureau of the Korean royal court. The subject of the screen quotes from Chinese imagery, in which foreign dignitaries are depicted paying tribute to the Chinese emperor. Other Korean treatments of this subject have typically appeared on eight- or ten-panel screens. The subject allows the artist to celebrate the grandeur and luxury of the palace as well as the far-reaching dipomatic power of the ruler (presumably the Korean king, although in reality Korea was a tributary to China).