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The National Palace Museum of Korea (Director: Kim Dong-Young), an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, has selected Painting Album Depicting the Matriculation Ceremony of Crown Prince Hyomyeong into Seonggyungwan (National Confucian Academy) as the “Curator’s Choice from the Royal Treasures” for the month of April. In addition to being displayed in the gallery, the album will be presented in a video broadcast on the internet (via YouTube) starting April 1

*National Palace Museum of Korea YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/gogungmuseum

Cultural Heritage Administration YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chluvu

The selected item is an album of paintings depicting the matriculation ceremony for the nine-year-old Crown Prince Hyomyeong (1809–1830) as he entered Seonggyungwan, the foremost educational institution of the Joseon Dynasty. Hyomyeong was born as the eldest son of King Sunjo (r. 1800–1834) and Queen Sunwon (1789–1857). From his birth, investiture as crown prince, and coming-of-age, Hyomyeong followed rites of passage stricter than those for any other crown prince.

The album presents a vivid record of the entire process of the matriculation ceremony in both text and illustrations, from the departure of the crown prince from his residence to his procession to Seonggyungwan and the following celebratory banquet. Crown princes during the Joseon Dynasty were actually educated separately at an institution known as Seja Sigangwon, but a matriculation ceremony for Seonggyungwan was mandatory as well. This was undertaken to emphasize the legitimacy of the crown prince as the heir to the throne by demonstrating his practice of the proprieties, a principle of Confucianism, and his studies of governance.

One interesting way to enjoy this month’s Curator’s Choice is to compare and contrast a matriculation ceremony in the present with that of this crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty. Those who are unable to visit the gallery can instead enjoy the album virtually through a video with English subtitles available on the museum’s website (gogung.go.kr) and on the YouTube channels of the museum and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea.

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