World history: Catalogue highlights the beauty of royal Korean seals

Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration has announced that it had published a three-volume catalogue titled “The Royal Seals of Joseon.”

The royal seals, known in Korean as “eobo,” were largely ceremonial and primarily used for weddings and other rituals. They were different from state seals, which were used for official documents and national orders.

The catalogue presents the most information ever collected about the seals and features images of both the seals and their accompanying accessories. In all, the catalogue contains information on more than 3,300 artifacts

The cultural administration hopes it will be an invaluable resource for scholars, the general public and anyone interested in Joseon Dynasty culture, as well as metal and woodcraft arts.

Many extant royal seals are well preserved because they were once stored at Jongmyo, a royal ancestral shrine, before they were moved in 2005 to the National Palace Museum of Korea. These artifacts are considered crucial to the study of royal culture during the Joseon Dynasty.

The catalogue documents 316 royal seals used by 34 Joseon kings, 48 queens and other royal family members.

The earliest seal was used in 1441 by Queen Hyeondeok, the wife of King Munjong (1414-1452), and the most recent one was used by in 1928 by Queen Sunmyeonghyo, the wife of King Sunjong (1874-1926). Seals usually composed of two parts: the square base, or “boshin,” on the underside, where the letters are engraved, and the handle, or “bonyu,” an animal ornament. “Insu,” or decorations such as bells and tassels, were added for visual appeal and, at least when it came to the tassel, made it easier to hold the seal.

The seals were traditionally wrapped in silk cloth and placed in a box called a “botong.” The botong was then wrapped again and placed in an outer box called “borok.”

The first volume of the catalogue introduces different kinds of eobo and the second one shows the inner and outer boxes and the keys and locks used to secure them. The third book focuses on the fabrics used to wrap the eobo and other ornaments associated with the seals.

The Cultural Heritage Administration is hoping to register the collection of seals as objects of World Cultural Heritage with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The catalogue will be available to the public at national and public libraries this month.