A gathering of military-officials

This sixteenth-century hanging scroll is rare; many such paintings were destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea during the late sixteenth-century. The title in seal script at the top indicates that the painting depicts a reunion of retired Seonjeonguan in 1576. Seonjeonguan was a group of military officials who served kings and supervised soldiers during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). This painting belongs to a genre of Korean paintings of elegant gatherings of officials or scholars (gyehoedo). The aim of such paintings was to keep accurate pictorial records of gatherings.

A large valley surrounded by mountains dominates the composition, dwarfing the figures. Against this dramatic landscape, the artist juxtaposed a quiet scene at the right, where the river winds diagonally around receding land masses then disappears into the distance.

The poem at the upper right was written by Jeong Yugil (1515–1588), a famous scholar official who wrote several inscriptions on important paintings during his time. It highlights the spirit and ideals of the participants and suggests that the gathering might have occurred in Youngbyeon city in Pyeongan province (in today’s North Korea).