sukjong
The Shadow of the Throne: Sukjong, Patron and Politician Sukjong (1661-1720), a name synonymous with both power and political intrigue within the Joseon Dynasty, was far more than just a king. Born Yi Sun in Seoul, he ascended to the throne at the tender age of thirteen, inheriting a kingdom teetering on the brink of internal conflict and external threats. His reign, spanning nearly half a century, witnessed a complex dance of shifting political factions – the Namin (Southerners), Seoin (Westerners), Soron (New Learning), and Noron (Old Learning) – each vying for influence at the heart of th…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of sukjong's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
