This paper examines the scripts (types of calligraphy) used in 17th-century Joseon royal Korean-script letters (eochal). Eochal refers to letters written by kings and queens, and an analysis of the scripts employed in these letters makes it possible t...
This paper examines the scripts (types of calligraphy) used in 17th-century Joseon royal Korean-script letters (eochal). Eochal refers to letters written by kings and queens, and an analysis of the scripts employed in these letters makes it possible to discern the characteristics of royal Korean scripts of the period and trace their transformation. The research findings are as follows.
The seventeenth century marks the period when Hangul eochal began to be transmitted in earnest. While only a few Korean-script letters from King Seonjo and Queen Inmok are extant from the 16th century, the 17th century preserves fourteen letters from King Hyojong, twelve from King Hyeonjong, seven from King Sukjong, seventy from Queen Inseon, four from Queen Jangryeol, seven from Queen Myeongseong, and five from Queen Inhyeon. Notably, during this period, many calligraphic albums (seocheop) were compiled collecting eochal from various royal houses, including the "Sukmyeong Sinhancheop (淑明宸翰帖)" from Princess Sukmyeong's household, the "Sinhanjeop Gon (宸翰帖 坤)" from Princess Sukhwi's household, and the "Eophilcheop (御筆帖)" from Princess Myeongan's collection. Most 17th-century eochal are preserved within such calligraphic compilations. Through these Korean-script royal letters, we can observe the inception of cursive script (heullimche) and trace the transformation of royal Korean scripts toward the development of Gungche (궁체).
17th-century royal Korean-script letters were composed in both cursive (heullimche) and regular scripts (jeongjache). King Hyojong's Korean-script letters represent the first royal letters written in cursive script since King Seonjo's 16th-century letters. During this period, the king's Korean calligraphy demonstrates connections to calligraphy techniques for Chinese characters based on Songseol style. While Hyojong's letters feature evenly aligned vertical lines with the alignment axis centered on the character, during Hyeonjong's reign, the alignment axis shifted to the right side of the character. King Sukjong's Korean-script letters were composed in neat regular script. Since Sukjong's regular script exhibits vertical strokes and character forms of 'ㅇ' resembling 19th-century and later Gungche, this indicates that script systematization progressed during Sukjong's era.
Most 17th-century queen consort Korean-script letters were written in cursive script. Only one letter from Queen Myeongseong, addressed to Song Shiyeol, exhibits regular script. In 17th-century queen consorts' cursive scripts, Queen Inseon's cursive appears to have set the standard for later queen consorts' cursive writing. Queen Inseon's cursive features a vertical alignment axis positioned on the right side of characters, with narrow horizontal width and elongated vertical proportions forming an oblong character shape. Queen Jangryeol's cursive resembles Queen Inseon's style. Queen Myeongseong's cursive is similar to Queen Inseon's, yet her vertical strokes and 'ㅇ' character forms show signs of transition. Queen Inhyeon's cursive appears with calligraphic intent similar to Queen Myeongseong's, displaying clear transformation in vertical strokes and 'ㅇ' character forms. Queen Inhyeon's cursive, as a 17th-century queen consort's letter, exhibits penmanship most similar to 19th-century and later Gungche.
The scripts appearing in 17th-century Korean-script royal letters, with their elongated vertical strokes, possess oblong character shapes with vertical extension. Particularly in the cursive scripts of this period, the characteristic of elongated vertical strokes becomes evident. The Korean scripts of King Sukjong and Queen Inhyeon share similarities with 19th-century and later Gungche, confirming that scripts underwent systematization progressively within the 17th century itself.
This research analyzes the scripts used in 17th-century Korean-script royal letters and identifies the characteristics of royal Korean scripts and their transformation processes of the period. The Korean scripts of this era, being in the formative and developmental stage of Gungche, exemplify the scriptual characteristics and developmental patterns of this transitional phase. The significance of this study lies in its joint analysis of 17th-century kings and queen consorts' calligraphy, thereby illuminating Korean scripts of the 17th century as a whole.