Detail

The personal seals used by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty were cherished possessions. They are valuable cultural heritage. The kings used them to mark their books, paintings, or calligraphic works, and their delicate carving and patterns give us insight into the artistic tastes of the royal family. Primarily made of metal or stone, these personal seals are artworks in their own right that brought script art to the next level as they retain the natural color and shape of the material used and the fonts were carefully arranged and aligned. Known for his exceptional artistic sensibility, King Heonjong (1827 ~ 1849), the 24th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, appreciated and enjoyed collecting seals, making him an important figure in the seal art of the Joseon royal family. He even published a book titled, Bosodanginjon (寶蘇堂印存), to introduce the seals he personally collected as well as seals used for private purposes by previous kings of Joseon. Korea Post introduces four personal seals from King Heonjong’s collection in the first set of the Seals of the Joseon Dynasty Series. Featuring a dragon flying through clouds on the four upper vertical sides, one of the seals bears an engraving of fourcharacter phrase, Mangiyeoga (萬幾餘暇), meaning “Enjoy brief calmness amidst the King’s countless state affairs.” Though it is certain that the seal originally belonged to a king of Joseon, it is not clear which king this was. Another seal, engraved with Ssangri ( ), bears carving of two dragons that stand out for their simplified form. The handle of the seal features two dragons crouched down. The seal is believed to have been produced during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty of China or was replicated afterwards, according to its description in Bosodanginjon. The third seal is made of bronze and is engraved with Ucheonhasa ( 友天下士), which means “Becoming friends with scholars of the world.” And, the last one, engraved with Hyangcheonsimjeongseohwajigi ( 香泉審定書畵之記), features an impressive handle designed in the form of a crouched lion. Known to be the seal that King Heonjong used to stamp paintings and calligraphic works he had collected, it is evidence of the artistic side of King Heonjong who cherished, appreciated, and even appraised painting and calligraphic works. 　 Among the collection of King Heonjong featured in this Series, Ssangri, Ucheonhasa, and Hyangcheonsimjeongseohwajigi - all except Mangiyeoga, which was in the collection of the National Palace Museum of Korea - are cultural heritage that were returned and officially brought to Korea during the Korea-US Summit in April, 2014.