19th-century painting is estimated to be auctioned for 0.6 to 1 bn won

“A royal painting depicting Crown Prince Hyomyeong’s coffin being carried out, which gives insight into the format of 19th-century royal paintings called Banchado that records the locations of government officials and objects during the national rituals of Joseon Dynasty, entered an auction to be held in the headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on September 24,” K Auction, an auction company handling art pieces, announced on Thursday.

The estimated price of the painting that depicts the scene of Crown Prince Hyomyeong’s coffin being carried out in 1830 is 0.6 to 1 billion won. It provides detailed information on the number of people attending the funeral, the flags used for the funeral, and the arrangement of litters. The painting is thought to have been drawn to be used in preparation for the funeral.

Crown Prince Hyomyeong who showed outstanding artistic talent at young ages began acting as regent for King Sunjo from 1827, holding the officials from influential families in check and trying to appoint new talents. He passed away three years later at the age of 21 after suddenly coughing up the blood.


Taek Kyoon Sohn sohn@donga.com