Books and Scholars’ Accoutrements

Chaekgado began as an emblem of royal learning and later furnished aristocratic studies. Books and prized objects occupy painted shelf compartments. A hidden seal on the third panel from the right identifies the court artist Yi Taek-gyun. The screen decorates a room while presenting its owner's learned interests.

The shelves are divided into many compartments. Each contains its own objects, turning the screen into an image of an extensive study.

Stacked books fill a high shelf. They are central to a genre whose name literally means pictures of bookshelves.

Small vessels stand on the lower shelves. Prized objects supplement books in presenting the owner's taste and pursuits.

A broad dark band runs beneath the cabinet. It joins the separate vertical sections into a single furnishing.

Books alternate with containers at the right. The third panel from this edge carries the hidden seal identifying the painter.

Yi Taek-gyun was a prominent late-nineteenth-century court painter. By then the genre had spread beyond royal commissions. Such screens allowed aristocratic owners to display learning and wealth in their studies.