Colour Change of The Ten Symbols of Longevity in the Late Joseon Dynasty

Abstract

The Ten symbols of Longevity (Sibjangsengdo) is an auspicious painting that expresses wishes for long life and wealth. The origins of Sibjangsengdo are  unknown, but the literature suggests that it has been passed down as a custom of Sehwa(painting given to subjects at the beginning of the year by a king ) since the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (14C). Most of the extant Sibjangsengdo were painted in the late Joseon Dynasty(18C~19C). The painting of the early Joseon Dynasty(14C) were based on the tradition of Goryeo painting and combined with the unique aesthetics of the Joseon Dynasty, the paintings were restrained in their expression of colour. However, in the late Joseon Dynasty, changes in social ideas such as Silhak (Realist School of Confucianism) led to a different colour change. The purpose of this study is to examine Sibjangsengdo  Paintings, known as 'Type 1', 'Type 2', and 'Type 3' in art history, from the perspective of Silhak and the resulting changes in pigments. Type 1 is the oldest of the four. Type 2 is Western-influenced and uses Western synthetic blue and green. Type 3 is much different in composition and colouring from Type 1 and Type 2, with the colour of blue being distinct. The colour of the digitised symbols of each type of Sibjangsengdo were estimated using the NCS index. The RGB and L*,a*,b*, and C* values of the colours were estimated using CIELAB. With the collapse of the ruling hierarchy in the late Joseon Dynasty, paintings from Court Painter were also decorated in the dwellings of the common people, and as Western synthetic pigments replaced traditional pigments, the restrained colours of the paintings gradually gave way to more saturated colours due to the diversity of pigments, especially in the blues and greens. Azurite and malachite were replaced by Western synthetic pigments such as Prussian blue and emerald green, which produced more vibrant colours than in previous painting.