Queen Hyo's Korean Appeal 'Manseokgunjeon·Gwakjajeon' to Become Treasures

The Second Queen's Calligraphy Before Treasure Designation... Praying for Family's Peace and Prosperity Through Transcription
"Refined and High-Quality Calligraphy Style Comparable to a Standard Hangeul Cursive Script"

The Korean calligraphy 'Manseokgunjeon·Gwakjajejeon' by Queen Hyo-ui Kim, the queen consort of King Jeongjo, will be elevated to Treasure status.

On the 18th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the preliminary designation of 'Queen Hyo-ui's Calligraphy and Box - Manseokgunjeon·Gwakjajejeon' as a Treasure. Opinions from various sectors will be collected for a month, and the final decision will be made after review by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee.

'Manseokgunjeon·Gwakjajejeon' is a Korean calligraphy (御筆, royal handwriting) by Queen Hyo-ui Kim, who in the 18th year of King Jeongjo's reign (1794) transcribed 'Manseokgun Seokbun (萬石君石奮)' from the Han Shu (Book of Han) and 'Gwakjayeoljeon (郭子儀列傳)' from the Xin Tang Shu (New Book of Tang). She requested her nephew Kim Jongseon to translate it.

'Manseokgunjeon' is the biography of Seokbun, an official during the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty. It describes how he was usually aggressive yet courteous, and how he educated his children well, with all four sons attaining high government positions. 'Gwakjajejeon' is the biography of Gwakja (Gwak Jayi), a military commander of the Tang dynasty. It recounts his achievements in suppressing the An Lushan Rebellion and subduing Tubo (Tibet), for which he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Fenyang (汾陽郡王). Gwakja is better known in Joseon as Gwak Bunyang (郭汾陽). He was often symbolized as a figure who enjoyed wealth and honor in old age with many children.

Queen Hyo-ui wrote in the postscript about the background of transcribing these two materials: "The loyalty, simplicity, and sincerity (충박질후·忠樸質厚) are to be learned from Manseokgun, and the carefulness, humility, and modesty (근신퇴양·謹愼退讓) are like Gwakja; I wish for our family to take them as examples for generations to come." The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "It contains the queen's and her natal family's wishes for the peace and prosperity of their lineage."

The calligraphy consists of the title written in 'Gonjeon Eopil (坤殿御筆)' style (kaishu, a Chinese script style written upright without cursive strokes), the main text transcribing 'Manseokgunjeon' and 'Gwakjajejeon,' Queen Hyo-ui's postscript, and a postscript by the queen's cousin Kim Gihu (金基厚). It has been kept in a paulownia wood box with a hinged lid engraved with phrases such as 'Jeongabojang (傳家寶藏, treasured family heirloom)' and 'Jasongi Youngbojang (子孫其永寶藏, treasured forever by descendants).'

This is the second time a queen's calligraphy has been designated as a Treasure, following the 2010 designation of 'Queen Inmok's Calligraphy of a Seven-Character Poem' (Treasure No. 1627). The Cultural Heritage Administration commented, "It is a valuable resource that offers insight into the 18th-century culture when Korean calligraphy was popular among royalty and the yangban class," and added, "It demonstrates a refined and high-quality calligraphic style that can be considered a model of Korean cursive script." They also noted, "Cases where a queen transcribed historical texts and left postscripts are extremely rare, making this highly valuable," and "Because the production period, background, and calligrapher are clearly identified, it can be regarded as a standard work in the history of Korean Hangul calligraphy during the Joseon dynasty."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.