Gathering among the Members of Office Censor-General1700s · Study 1997.147

Context from the museum

In the early Joseon period, paintings of scholar-officials’ gatherings ( gyehoedo ) gained popularity among the Korean elite. This painting was commissioned by Sim Eongwang, an official of the Joseon court, to depict a miwon gyehoedo , a gathering of cabinet members ( saganwon ). This meeting is assumed to have been ordered around the time when Sim was the head of the saganwon in 1530. At the bottom of the painting, he added his poem to express a "literati respect for high spirituality," as stated in the first line. The poem was later recorded in his anthology titled Eochonjip (Book of Fisher Village). This painting itself, however, is an 18th-century copy of the original 16th-century painting.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The gathering portrayed in this painting took place in the 16th century, but the painting itself is a later copy, possibly of the 18th century.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for Gathering among the Members of Office Censor-General is 56.5 cm wide and 39.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 22.2 × 15.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.43:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.22 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 18.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 121.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Gathering among the Members of Office Censor-General in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, hanging scroll with calligraphy; ink and light colors on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 56.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?