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Royal Portraits of the Joseon Dynasty
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information on Korean stamp
Date of Issue : 2022.02.07
Types : 2
Denomination : 430 won
Design :
Stamp No. : 3563
Printing Process
& Colors
: null
Size of Stamp : 30 × 40
WholeSheet
Composition
: 6 × 2
Image Area : 27 × 37
Paper : null
Perforation : 13¼ × 13
Printer : POSA
Designer : Kim Mihwa
Quantity : null
Detail
Royal portraits of kings are referred to as “eojin” in Korean. However, royal portraits of the Joseon dynasty carry greater significance than mere painting. This can be seen from historical records of kings commissioning royal portraits of King Taejo (born Yi Seonggye), who symbolized legitimacy, and enshrined it when facing a political crisis. Korea Post is issuing the commemorative stamp Royal Portraits of the Joseon Dynasty that depict the authority of kings and the royal court. The royal family of Joseon considered any unauthorized portrayals of kings as blasphemous, so they strictly controlled the production and management of royal portraits. Royal portraits were produced following rigorous procedure and formality under royal orders, and enshrined in a building called Jinjeon following ceremonial protocols. Royal portraits were consistently produced since the founding of Joseon, and this tradition continued to be maintained until the late Joseon dynasty. However, early Joseon-era royal portraits were mostly lost during wars and foreign invasions, and late Joseon-era royal portraits were mostly burned or damaged by fire when they were transported to and stored in Busan during the Korean War. Thus, we are able to know the faces of Joseon kings through the royal portraits of King Taejo, King Yeongjo and King Cheoljong. On the other hand, a sketch of the royal portrait of King Sejo produced in the 1930s remains available today for people to see how King Sejo looked like. Institutions that hold these royal portraits in their collection make continuous efforts to preserve them, including art conservation, restoration and replication. This commemorative stamps contain the royal portrait of King Taejo (National Treasure) and King Yeongjo (Treasure) against the background of the Irwolobongdo (Painting of the Sun, Moon and the Five Peaks), a folding screen that symbolizes royal authority. The royal portrait of King Taejo (r. 1392–1398) is currently housed in the Royal Portrait Museum in Gyeonggijeon Shrine, Jeonju, and the royal portrait of King Yeongjo (r. 1724–1776) in the National Palace Museum of Korea in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. Although a stamp cannot fully express a king`s dignity, we recommend you to take this opportunity to visit the locations of these royal portraits of Joseon-era kings in person. We hope these commemorative stamps serves as an opportunity to realize the value of national heritage and the importance of art conservation.
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