The reign of King (later Emperor) Gojong of the Joseon dynasty (later the Korean Empire), which lasted from
1863 to 1907, was a period of turmoil caused by political and social instability at home and military incursions by
foreign powers. It was also...
The reign of King (later Emperor) Gojong of the Joseon dynasty (later the Korean Empire), which lasted from
1863 to 1907, was a period of turmoil caused by political and social instability at home and military incursions by
foreign powers. It was also a period in which Joseon was proclaimed as the Korean Empire and, accordingly, the
royal seals of the dynasty underwent a major change.
Records show that some 135 seals were produced during the reign of Gojong. The present study of the makers
and styles of the royal seals aims to reveal a wealth of information on the seals, which typically had handles in the
shape of either a turtle or dragon.
Among the seal makers of this era, Jeon Heung-gil was particularly highly regarded as a Golden Royal Seal
Artisan (Geumbojang) because he was highly skilled at making both turtle and dragon handles. Kim Eun-seok,
a master Jade Royal Seal Artisan (Okbojang), also excelled in the production of turtle and dragon handles for his
jade seals. Another master Jade Royal Seal Artisan, Yi Jung-ryeo, is noteworthy because he developed a new style
of jade royal seals, which eventually became the dominant style after 1890, when Kim Eun-seok was not active.
Furthermore, after the 1890s, his style was also applied to the production of the gold royal seals and developed as
the dominant style.
Regarding the dragon handles adopted after the proclamation of the Korean Empire, both the golden and the
jade royal seals were made in the same style by the same artisans in the service of the Joseon dynasty. They adopted
the style of Chinese imperial seals when they began making seals with dragon handles for the Korean Empire,
although the basic shapes of both handle and dragon were copied from those made during the Joseon period.
As a ceremonial object symbolizing the authority and legitimacy of the royal or imperial family, the style of the
royal seals was influenced mainly by changes in the political situation at home and abroad. As Gojong’s reign was a
period in which more royal seals were made than in the reign of any other ruler, the seals originating from his reign
constitute a richer source of information about the efforts of the dynasty to preserve the tradition while effectively
dealing with the changes of the new era.