Early 20th Century Joseon Dynasty Korean Wood Print Blocks - Set of 5

Description

A set of five carved wood print blocks from Korea circa 1900s (late Joseon to early Korean Empire period). Constructed … more A set of five carved wood print blocks from Korea circa 1900s (late Joseon to early Korean Empire period). Constructed and hand-chiseled from hardwood, the printing blocks were finely carved on both sides in Chinese (Hanja) for the book "Geumgye Collection". The collection consists of (as in front and back): Vol 1-21 and 22, Vol 2-1 and 2, Vol 3-7 and 8, Vol 5-9 and 10 and Vol 5-17 and 18. Complete surfaces were shown in this order on the last 10 photos. The characters were meticulously carved in a uniform font and were later gilt for decorative purposes.
Geumgye Collection (???) is a compiled anthology of the writings by Huang Junliang (???) (1517–1563). One of the earliest disciples of Yi Hwang (??), the famous Korean philosopher and the founder of Toegye Studies (??), he was a statesman and a poet who left nearly a thousand poems. His work, collected in Geumgye, is considered an important study of the early Toegye movement and a reflection of the contemporary Confucius society.
Similar wood print blocks are in the permanent collection of the British Musuem, London. (Such as 1996,0715.2; 1997,0227.2; 1991,1220.8). less