Detail

`The ninth collection of stamps in the Korean Beauty Series is devoted to `Illustrated Chinese Character,` unique folk art from the Choson dynasty. `Illustrated Chinese Character,` refers to a type of pictography in which the linguistic element and visual form of a Chines character are combined with a depiction of famous episode or symbol that is associated with the meaning of the character. For example, the character `hyo (孝: filial piety)` is illustrated with a carp or bamboo shoot design taken from the famous ancient Chinese episodes of Wang Xiang (Ch`in dynasty), who broke ice in the dead of winter to catch carp for his step-mother, and Meng Zong (Wudynasty), who searched in the snow for a bamboo shoot for his elderly mother. The illustrated Chinese characters gracing this collection of stamps were drawn in the middle of the 19th century and consist of eight pictorial characters representing the eight cardinal Confucian virtues of filial piety (孝), love among siblings and neighbors (悌), loyalty to one`s country (忠), fidelity (信), etiquette (禮), justice (義), integrity (廉), an humility (恥). In each stamp, the dark outline of the character frames symbolic ornaments. These illustrations of Confucian teachings came to be used on eight-panelled folding screens when home decoration became fashionable in the 18th century. During the late 19th century, the style underwent diverse changes, highlighting the pictorial attributes by simplifying the character outlines and placing more decorative designs within. `