Abstract
King Yeongjo (r. 1724-1776), the twenty-first king of the Joseon Dynasty, lectured on Chunqiu (The Spring and Autumn Annals), one of the five core Neo-Confucian classics, during royal lectures from the tenth lunar month of 1737 (the 13th year of the reign of King Yeongjo) through the sixth lunar month of 1741 (the 17th year of the reign of King Yeongjo). He discussed state affairs drawing upon the contents of this volume. Moreover, he tried to boost the political authority of the king and stabilize the political situation by emphasizing the king-subject relationship based on Confucian propriety and principles as expressed in The Spring and Autumn Annals. On the twenty-second day of the sixth lunar month of 1741, King Yeongjo bestowed liquor on officials to commemorate the completion of his lectures on The Spring and Autumn Annals in Gyeonghyeondang Hall at Gyeongdeokgung Palace (present-day Gyeonghuigung Palace). Gyeonghyeondang Hall was originally used as a space for a crown prince to discuss state affairs. When official events began to be held there from the early eighteenth century, however, it turned into a space symbolizing the dignity of a king. King Yeongjo's bestowal of liquor at Gyeonghyeondang Hall reflected his goal of making clear to officials that the authority of the crown prince who would succeed the throne was built upon the dignity of the king. Album for the Poetry-writing Gathering of King Yeongjo and Officials in Gyeonghyeondang Hall was produced to commemorate King Yeongjo's bestowal of liquor upon his subjects at Gyeonghyeondang Hall. It contains a painting depicting a banquet held by the king to bestow liquor upon officials at Gyeonghyeondang Hall, the text regarding the circumstances of the king's bestowal of liquor, a poem composed by King Yeongjo, and response poems by the officials. Copies of this album were given to the officials who participated in the event. Only two examples have survived, one housed in the collection of the National Museum of Korea and one at the Seoul Museum of History. Album for the Poetry-writing Gathering of King Yeongjo and Officials in Gyeonghyeondang Hall allows us to explore royal lectures, the practice of composing poems in response to a king's poem, and the political situation marked by the strengthening of the king's legitimacy and the emphasis on the king-subject relationship built upon Confucian propriety and principles in the mid-eighteenth century. It also enables us to better understand King Yeongjo as a father concerned about his son Crown Prince Sado (1735-1762).
조선의 제21대 국왕 영조(英祖)(재위 1724~1776)는 1737년(영조 13) 10월부터 1741년(영조 17) 6월까지 경연(經筵)에서 성리학의 핵심 경전 중 하나인 『춘추(春秋)』를 진강(進講)했다. 영조는 『춘추』에 등장하는 내용을 바탕으로 국정을 논하였다. 또한 영조는 『춘추』를 통해 군신 간의 '의리(義理)'를 강조함으로써, 국왕의 정치적 권위를 높이고 정국을 안정시키고자 하였다. 영조는 1741년 6월 22일 경덕궁(慶德宮)(지금의 경희궁(慶熙宮)) 경현당(景賢堂)에서 『춘추』 진강을 마친 것을 기념하는 선온(宣醞)을 베풀었다. 경현당은 본래 세자(世子)의 정당(政堂)이었으나, 18세기 초부터 왕실의 공식 행사를 진행하면서 국왕의 위엄를 상징하는 공간으로 변모하였다. 영조가 경현당에서 선온을 베푼 것은 국왕의 위엄을 바탕으로 대통(大統)을 계승할 세자의 권위를 신하들에게 분명히 알리기 위한 목적이 반영되어 있었다. 《경현당갱재첩》은 경현당 선온을 기념하기 위해 제작한 첩으로 선온 장면을 그린 <경현당석연도(景賢堂錫宴圖)>·선온의 전말·영조의 어제시(御製詩)와 신하들의 화답시(和答詩)의 순서로 이루어져 있다. 이 첩은 선온에 참여한 신하들에게 사급(賜給)되었는데, 현재 국립중앙박물관과 서울역사박물관에 각각 1건씩 총 2건이 전하고 있다. 《경현당갱재첩》은 18세기 중반 경연과 갱재(賡載) 양상, 국왕의 정통성 강화와 군신 간의 '의리'가 강조된 당시의 정치적 상황, 아버지의 입장에서 아들 사도세자(思悼世子)(1735~1762)를 걱정하는 영조의 모습 등을 살펴볼 수 있는 자료이다.