The Album of the Elder Statesmen’s Association (Gisa Gyecheop) is a collection of paintings made to commemorate the initiation of King Sukjong (r. 1674-1720) into the Association of Elder Statesmen (Giroso) in 1719 when he was 59 old, following the example of the founder of the Joseon dynasty, King Taejo (r. 1392-1398). This commemorative meeting of the association, which was established to honor the services of senior civil officials of the Major 2nd Rank (jeongipum) and above aged 70 or over, took place in 1719, and the album of paintings was completed the following year. Twelve copies were made in total, of which eleven were distributed to the members of the association while the remaining one was stored at the office of the association. Of the twelve original copies, only five remain today, including the one (National Treasure No. 325) in the collection of the National Museum.
Designated as National Treasure No. 334, this album consists of an introduction written by a member of the association named Im Bang (1640-1724), a poetic work written by King Sukjong at the banquet held at Gyeonghyeondang Hall of Gyeonghuigung Palace, a postscript written by Kim Yu (1653-1719), a roster of the eleven association members who participated in the celebratory event, paintings of the celebratory gathering, half-length portraits of, and poetic works written by, various members of the association, and a list of minor officials who participated in the production of the album. This particular copy of the album differs from others due to the inclusion of two calligraphic works, the Mantoedang Hall Collection (晩退堂藏) on pages 1 and 2 and Family Treasure House (傳家寶藏) on pages 53 and 54, which suggest that it was issued to Hong Man-jo (1465-1725), one of the members who participated in the 1719 event. The four-character idioms show that the album was part of the collection of the Pungsan Hong clan. The album is complete with its set of coverings, inner box (naeham), protective case (hogap) and outer case (oegap), which were specially made to protect the paintings. As indispensable parts of the album, these coverings provide tangible clues about the Joseon dynasty’s use of protective cases to preserve valuable items and the craft techniques used to make them.
This album of paintings is generally regarded as a valuable historical material due to its direct connection with the historic event of King Sukjong’s initiation into the Association of Elder Statesmen in 1719, and because it was used as a model for King Gojong’s initiation in 1902. Given the abundant documentary evidence of its origin, including the identities of its producers and production dates, coupled with the artistic excellence of the eminent scholar-officials involved in its production, and the excellent condition of its original, superbly crafted protective coverings, this album of paintings is widely regarded as a crucial element of the cultural heritage of the Joseon court.