Chaekgeori

Chaekgeori is a Korean still-life painting genre depicting books, shelves, and scholarly or auspicious objects. It flourished especially during the Joseon dynasty.

Connect

Chaekgado: A Korean painting of books and scholarly objects, often arranged on shelves or in a bookcase. The term names the genre’s characteristic book-centered compositions.
Linear perspective: A system for representing three-dimensional space through converging lines and a consistent viewpoint. Chaekgeori may use perspective inconsistently, making its shelves spatially ambiguous.
Joseon dynasty: A Korean dynasty that ruled from 1392 to 1897 and shaped the peninsula’s political and cultural institutions. Chaekgeori flourished within this dynasty’s court and elite society.
Scholar-official: An educated bureaucrat whose status rested on literary learning and service in a state administration. Chaekgeori’s books and writing tools signaled the ideals associated with this social role.
Lee Eung-nok: A late Joseon painter associated with chaekgeori and other works featuring carefully rendered objects. His paintings exemplify the genre’s attention to material detail.
Munbangdo: A Korean painting of objects associated with the scholar’s study, including writing tools and books. Its study objects overlap with chaekgeori’s furnishings and scholarly imagery.
Trompe-l’œil: An artistic technique that uses realistic depiction to create the illusion of three-dimensional objects. Some chaekgeori paintings make shelves and objects appear materially present.
King Jeongjo: The twenty-second ruler of Joseon Korea, reigning from 1776 to 1800 and known for supporting scholarship and reform. His court is closely associated with the genre’s late-eighteenth-century rise.
Korean folk painting: A broad tradition of Korean painting made for popular, domestic, and ceremonial settings. Chaekgeori also circulated beyond court settings as a decorative and auspicious art.
Kim Hong-do: A celebrated late-Joseon painter known for genre scenes, portraits, and works for the royal court. Works attributed to him connect chaekgeori with court painting and broader Joseon art.