An album of paintings of a royal envoy’s trip to Yanjing
Overview
This calligraphy and painting album was produced by the order of King Yeongjo (1724–1776) during the 1760 winter solstice envoy mission to Beijing. It had long been referred to as Painting Album of Shenyangguan Residence, but when it was designated as a treasure in 2020 it was given the official title Painting Album of a Royal Envoy’s Trip to Yanjing in the Gyeongjin Year (Gyeogjinnyeon yeonhaeng docheop in Korean). “Yeonhaeng” referred to a diplomatic protocol in which Joseon Korea dispatched diplomatic missions to Beijing (then referred to as Yanjing), the capital of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, in accordance with a foreign policy based on the principle of serving the great and maintaining neighborly relations. As for the materials related this diplomatic protocol, there are many surviving official history books published by the government, diplomatic documents, and travelogues written by members of the missions. However, only a few examples of paintings depicting the envoys’ trips to Beijing or documentary paintings showing diplomatic missions are found. Therefore, this album produced in the mid-eighteenth century can be viewed as a significant cultural heritage item with academic and artistic value. The album consists of twenty-one pages, each featuring either calligraphy or painting on two leaves. It contains calligraphy by King Yeongjo, five postscripts, seven real-view paintings, and three paintings that mark the locations of memorial tablets inside buildings with texts. The paintings depict the landscapes surrounding historic sites and sacred places in Shenyang, Beijing, and Shenhaiguan Pass, all locations where diplomatic missions crossed or stayed during their trips. The postscripts paired with these paintings help viewers to understand the content. The paintings included in this album can be classified into two types—royal palace paintings and real-view landscapes—based on their compositions and depictions. Each scene is illustrated by selectively employing a moving bird’s-eye perspective and a parallel-diagonal perspective. The use of the gyehwa (fine-line architectural drawing) technique with iron-wire texture strokes of the same thickness is remarkable in the delineation of the buildings and fortresses. High-quality coloring is applied as well. The paintings appear to have been created by Yi Pil-seong, who served as a court painter with Dohwaseo (Royal Bureau of Painting) and accompanied the entire journey of this diplomatic mission. Painting Album of a Royal Envoy’s Trip to Yanjing in the Gyeongjin Year is the sole surviving visual material commissioned and produced by the royal court to illustrate the winter solstice envoy mission that was dispatched in 1760 and returned in 1761. Its production background, commissioner, and creator are well documented. The paintings, calligraphy, and mounting of this album have remained intact since its creation, adding to its value. The album is also highly significant as a visual record that reflects the characteristics and level of artistic achievement of royal court paintings from the mid-eighteenth century.


