Confucian Ancestor Worship and Ritual Shrine Paintings of the Chosǒn Period

Dr. Ariane Perrin
Vortrag in englischer Sprache

The ritual shrine paintings (sadangdo 祠堂圖) of the Chosŏn period (1392-1910) were a substitute for the actual domestic shrine. They were used as a portable device to conduct Confucian-style ancestor worship when the officiant was away from home. While the ritual context is known, the actual use of these paintings during the rituals can only be speculated as there are no known textual sources about this category of painting.

Based on a corpus of 50 or so shrine paintings, this lecture will analyze various types of visual representations and recurring iconographical elements, some of which are imbued with a cosmological symbolism. Originally destined to be used in the strictly regulated rites of the upper class, we will see how the varied iconography of this category of painting reveal a gradual influence of the folk painting (minhwa 民畵) tradition, perhaps signifying its wider use and diffusion among the common people.

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