2. A General History of Museums in Korea

Art Museums
Their History, Present Situation and Vision:

the case of the Republic of Korea : through historical survey, the case studies of private art museums and the "Mo-am Collection"

 

안견, 「몽유도원도」중 부분, 견본수묵담채, 1447, 38.7×106.5cm, 일본 덴리대학 중앙도서관

 

2. A General History of Museums in Korea
In Korea, the royal families and the noble classes traditionally collected antiquities such as painting, calligraphy, pottery, and other ornamental objects from the nation and overseas. These works were favored by the elite. They began to display their collections in their private libraries and pavilions.

Archetype of Korean Museums
An archetype of the museum existed in the Three Kingdom period (ca. 3C to 7C A.D) and even earlier. However, because of the lack of written records, its origins are indistinct. Several cases, which explain prototypes of Korean art museums, exist in the history of Korea.

According to several partial historical records, King Jin-Pyung of the Silla Kingdom dispatched an envoy to the T’ang dynasty, China, in the seventh century (625), and after this event a Chinese emperor rewarded Silla King Jin-Pyung with a number of Chinese silks and folding screens.１４ In the eighth century (768), Silla King Sung-Duk presented a set of remembrances from a Chinese emperor to the public and the people were stunned by the works.１５ In 391, Paekche King Jin-sa created a pond with artificial mountains and fed a variety of rare animals and plants. In 510, King Dong-sung founded the Pavilion of Facing Garret (Limryu-gak) on the east side of the royal palace and also bred a set of uncommon animals and plants.１６

According to Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) there are several fairy-tales which tell of the existence of special storage spaces constructed specifically for art works, such as the storehouse of Venerable Queen (Guibee-go) and the storehouse of Sky High (Chunzon-go)１７. Similar cases to this can be found in Samguk yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)１８. In the period of the Unified Silla (668 – 935), the Lake of Wild Geese (Anapchi) was created by the king Mun-mu in 674. This was originally built as the part of the Pavilion or Palace on the Sea (Imhae-jeon), and the king bred a vast number of rare animals, plants and stored a number of works of art.

During the Koryo period (918 – 1392), Kings Ye-jong and Eui-jong accumulated a variety of classical paintings and calligraphy and displayed them in separate structures. These structures were called the Palace of Long Harmony (Changhwa-jeon), the Palace of Great Peace (Taepyeong-jeon), the Pavilion of Treasure (Bomun-gak) and the Pavilion of Clear Swallow (Chungyeon-gak). The Koryo kings stored and collected a variety of works of art such as paintings and calligraphy in those private places and displayed those precious works from time to time.１９

During the Cho-sun Dynasty (1392 – 1910) the governmental department existed for administrating the loyal treasury, property and very precious works of art. It was called ‘Sangyui-won’ and the name was changed to ‘Sangyui-sa’ in 1895.２０ In the Cho-sun dynasty, it flourished for the royal families and high scholars and government officials to collect and preserve the works of art and sponsored many artists as art patrons for their variety of art activities different from the royal treasury storages and pavilions.２１ For instance, the Prince Anp’yong (1418 – 1453), Yong Lee (or Yi), sponsored a very talented painter Kyun Ahn (fifteenth century) at the time, who painted “Mong yu towon to (Dream of Strolling in a Peach Garden)２２” for Prince Lee in 1447. By tracing the history

of the Cho-sun dynasty, plenty of examples can be found. Not only did the Cho-sun royal family members, but also the ‘Sadaebu (Lierati or Scholar and Government Officials),” collected art works and supported the artists at the time. Aside from the case of the Cho-sun dynasty collection, there are a few appropriate examples or historical records of private art collections in Korea. It is clear from the quality of the objects that survive that private art collecting activities were a part of life in ancient Korea.

ⓒ 모암문고 www.moamcollection.org