[P'ALTO CHIDO OR EIGHT PROVINCES (KOREA) MAPS.] KOREAN PROVINCAL MANUSCRIPT MAPS

[Korea late 18th-early 19th century 1780-1810?]. Eight color gouache pastel tinted maps, ca. 57.5 x 90.1 cm.,contemporary re-backing, very solid, clean examples, complete set of all provinces, hand-painted gouache manuscripts. RARE & OBSCURE . *** **** *** . . . A RARE & COMPLETE SET OF ANTIQUARIAN MANUSCRIPT KOREAN . . . YI PERIOD PROVINCIAL MAPS . . "P’ALTO CHIDO" OR "EIGHT PROVINCES MAPS" . . . DELUXE ELEPHANT FOLIO SIZE SHEETS . . . HAND-COLORED GOUACHE PASTELS . * This is a very RARE & COMPLETE set of eight Korean provincial manuscript maps. Drawn circa [1780-1810] by an unsigned Korean cartographer. These maps are of historical importance, giving place names isolating the time frame. . Painted on very thin, finely hand-made mulberry-fiber tissue paper, contemporary re-backed with a stiff hand-made paper. Beautifully hand-painted & colored in gouache pastels. . *** The record shows several reliable verities of manuscript maps showing the eight ancient Korean provinces. . Commonly these maps had no title, cartographer's name, date or other critical bibliographic colophon data. This is a common theme with Korean manuscript maps. . Political divisions of Korea are by and large mostly stable, making name comparisons easier. . *** PROBABLE MAP TITLES INCLUDE: . a. The "SINJUNG-TONGGUK-YOJI-SUNGNAM:" "EIGHT SEPARATE MAPS EACH SHOWING ONE COMPLETE PROVINCE OF THE EIGHT KOREAN PROVINCES similar in intention to the "P’ALTO CHIDO." . The eight provinces were established during the Chosen dynasty [1392-1910], alternately and commonly called the Yi dynasty. . The eight provinces are from the north to south: . 1. Hamgyong 2. P'yong'an 3. P'yongyang 4. Kangwon 5. Hwanghae 6. Kanghwa 7. Kyongsang 8. Cholla'ungch'ong . During the Sejo reign [1455-68], Yang Songji made the first "P'Alt-do ["P’ALTO CHIDO"] type maps of the eight provinces, this type and style became the "standard" for future examples. There after his style and format were copied by others for centuries. . b. A second version and style of the above eight provinces maps is called "TONGGUK CHIDO: MAP OF THE EASTERN COUNTRY [i.e. KOREA]" showing a compressed northern frontier [along Manchuria] the characteristic "CHONG CH'OK" style. . c. A third similar map: "P'ALDO-CHONGDO: A SINGLE MAP SHOWING THE EIGHT PROVINCES OF KOREA." . *** These maps are pictorially beautiful and artistically drawn in detail. Graphics expressing a primitive, naive folk charm depicts prominent geological landscape features. Mountain ranges, hills, forests [in green], streams/rivers [blues], political district seats distinctively painted cartouches [box-like] in various differing colors for each province. Roads, paddy, coastal shore line & islands in blue tints, with other features nicely colored. . There are a large number of name throughout each map, all written in Hanzi [traditional Chinese characters called "Hanja" in Korean] as was the common practice at that time for Koreans. There are no Hangul characters at all. The Hanja identify navigational directions, names of surrounding ocean, harbors, beaches, geographical names, city, towns, villages, mountains, rivers, roads and the like. . Each of the eight maps illustrates a complete single province. Within each of the various political divisions and boundaries outlined and named. . *** RARITY OF KOREAN ANTIQUITIES: Antiquarian Korean examples are sparse, when compared to items of the same period in China and Japan. Korean works are less than 10% of those created elsewhere. . Fewer Korean items were made, survived and preserved. The attrition rate: bad weather, unstable ancient mud building structures, fires, natural disasters, earthquakes, war and other factors diminished the remaining examples. . Those the numbers that come to marked are steadily reduced, while the value continues to appreciate. Many never return to market when acquired by institutions or private collectors who eventually donate to museums. . *** DATING THESE MAPS: These were mostly undated. . There are three possible methods of dating. . a. BY PLACE NAME: there are details in the reference books about county seat names being colored or put in various kinds of 'boxes' on the map, depending on that, according to the resources, approximate dates can be derived. . b. PAPER TECHNOLOGY & FIBERS: Koreans have been using hand-made mulberry bark and fiber paper from the Zhenguan period [AD 627-649], printing Buddhist sutras by woodblocks on similar kinds of paper. . These two technologies [papermaking and woodblock printing] was transmitted to Japan around 700 AD. . Since that time both Koreans & Japanese have utilized mulberry paper [Washi in Japanese] to woodblock print and paint a large variety of items including maps, books and single page works. . By comparing the paper of these maps with known dated printed Japanese books, a very close approximate date can be derived. . These Korean map papers are nearly identical to dated woodblock-printed Japanese examples we have. It is therefore highly possible these maps were painted on hand-made mulberry paper from circa 1780-1810 period. . In ancient times, sheet size was limited to a small size, then joined to other sheets to create a large size single sheet. These maps are of that format. See McCune below, where he states the kind of paper used, which matches our examples. . *** CONDITION: Per McCune we summarize: as usual these maps were folded several times from their creation time so they could be safely stored and carried in small 'book' format in covers with a tied string. See McCune below. . Being painted on very fine & thin hand-made mulberry paper, most all examples were eventually re-backed. Ours as typical have period re-backing, using the same character hand-made mulberry fiber paper, of a thicker quality. . They are well preserved, however nevertheless, as usual there remains some old original wear at the folds, the expected light water stains, dustiness with other typical very minor flaws for an item of this grand size being 200+ years old. These do not detract from the overall excellent impression and stunning appeal. . *** RARITY: . The complete set is RARE! The work is nicely executed in a firm hand, with artistic value, illustrating artistically hills, mountains, and other features of the map pictorially. It is not only a map, but a work of art. Tastefully colored in subtle pastels, nice representation of water, rives and sea. . Such early and beautifully artistic examples seldom come to market. . A RARE AND FRESH EXAMPLE, NEVER BEEN ON THE MARKET IN THE LAST 120 YEARS ! . *** PROVENANCE: These items were acquired from a former missionary's estate, who was stationed in Korea from circa 1900-1930's. They have been in this private collection since and have never been on the market. . *** Color scans are posted to our website. . *** REFERENCES: . TOOLEY, Ronald V. et al.: Article: Shannon McCune: SOME KOREAN MAPS, pp.70-102 with illustrations. * McCUNE, Shannon.: KOREAN MAPS OF THE YI DYNASTY, KOREAN CULTURE, [Korean] Consulate General, L.A. Ca. Sept. 1983, pp.21-31, [34] back cover color plate, color & b.w. illustrated. . He discusses "P’ALTO CHIDO"["EIGHT PROVINCES MAP"] origins, maps without scale, and were copies of a Korean scholar named Won [his title was: Haksaeng] works based on Chong Ch’ok’s [1390-1475] TONGGUK CHIDO [MAP OF THE EASTERN COUNTRY], then modified by Won to be the more typical "P’ALTO CHIDO" ["EIGHT PROVINCES MAP"] but in his new style. This new style clearly resembles our maps in layout, format, color of county seats, and similar boxes around them, and other critical details. [KOREAN] CONSUL GENERAL, KOREAN CULTURE, September 1983, pp.21-31, [34] color map on back cover, color and b.w. illustrated. . It was from these maps that the later versions similar to ours eventually emerged mostly by Imperial Order by the "...Yi Dynasty court, specifically decreed that both magistrates and governors should prepare up-to-date maps of their territories udder their supervision." [p.25]. * HARLEY, J.B. ed. et al.: CARTOGRAPHY IN THE TRADITIONAL EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN SOCIETIES. [Ahead of Title: THE HISTORY OF CARTOGRAPHY, Vol. 2, Book 2], an excellent article by Gari Ledyard: CARTOGRAPHY IN KOREA, pp. 235-345,239, figures 10.23, 10.24, et al. * NAKAMURA, Hiroshi.: EAST ASIA IN OLD MAPS. . --. NIHON KO CHIZU TAISEI: GREAT COLLECTION OF OLD JAPANESE MAPS [MONUMENTA CARTOGRAPHICA JAPONICA] . --. OLD CHINESE WORLD MAPS PRESERVED BY THE KOREANS. Article in IMAGO MUNDI IV 1958. * LEE, Chan. [CH'AN, Yi].: OLD MAPS OF KOREA. Han'guk ko chido. [By: Ch'an Yi, Hong-gyu Che, Han'guk Tosogwanhak, Yon'guhoe]. He discusses and illustrates a good number of similar examples. On pp.226-27, he outlines an early Yi Dynasty example of: THE MAP OF EIGHT provinces found in TONGGUK YOJI SUNGNAM Chong Sang-gi's Tongguk Chido. These manuscripts were on large paper, one province per sheet. Many other fine related examples are illustrated & discussed. . --. OLD MAPS OF KOREA: HISTORICAL SKETCH. He traces the early origins of Early Yi dynasty[1392-1910] Eight Provinces Map origins and progressions, excellent, lucid article, with illustrations and references to Yi HOE’s MAP OF EIGHT PROVINCES. Excellent essay on provincial maps. * SHIN, Michael D. ed.: KOREAN HISTORY IN MAPS: From Prehistory to the Twenty-First Century. * British Museum similar examples cited: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Room_67,_British_Museum# /media/File:Map_of_the_Jeolla_Province_British_Library_c.27. f.14_fol.12_n02.jpg * Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/84117116 * THROWER, NORMAN J.W. & Young Il Kim: dong-kookyu-do: A RECENTLY DISCOVERED MANUSCRIPT OF A MAP OF KOREA. Imago Mundi, vol.21, 1967, pp.31-49, illustrated. . * .