MUSEUM PRESERVED: 1791 KOREAN ROYAL COMMAND WOODBLOCKS

A Triple-Nation "Palimpsest" Artifact: Korea (Joseon) • Japan (Meiji) • China (Henan)

OFFICIAL PROVENANCE: HENAN PROVINCIAL LIBRARY (河南省图书馆)

DESIGNATION: ORIGINAL 1791 ROYAL COMMISSION (SAMBONGJIP) & 19thC JAPANESE XIAOXUE DIAOTI【

THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE 】This offering represents an exceedingly rare "Palimpsest" Woodblock Set—a physical witness to 250 years of East Asian intellectual exchange.

SIDE A: THE 1791 ROYAL KOREAN COMMISSION

These blocks are original components of the 1791 Royal Edition of the Sambongjip (Collected Works of Chŏng Tojŏn). Commissioned by King Jeongjo, the 1791 printing is a designated National Treasure of the Republic of Korea.

Item 1: Vol. 7, Page 14

Item 2: Vol. 7, Page 12

Note: Royal commission blocks feature the distinct "High-Relief" carving and specific "Pan-sim" (central spine) architecture reserved for palace-grade scholarship.

SIDE B:

THE 19thC JAPANESE RE-CARVING

In a remarkable display of historical recycling (Palimpsest), these blocks traveled to Japan during the 19th century, where the reverse sides were planed and re-carved for the Japanese edition of Xiaoxue Diaoti (Annotations on the Lesser Learning) by the renowned scholar Nakai Riken.

【 ARCHIVAL PROVENANCE 】Authenticated and preserved by the Henan Provincial Library (河南省图书馆), one of China’s oldest and most prestigious institutions.Presentation: Housed in original Jade-Teal Library Cases lined with Imperial Orange Silk.

Authentication: Includes Original Fibrous Paper Rubbings (Prints) bearing the Official Red Oval Collection Stamps of the Henan Provincial Library.

Craftsmanship: Visible Hand-Chiseling on the beveled edges and natural Age-Checking (fine cracks) in the seasoned hardwood (Wild Cherry/Birch).

Rarity: 10/10. Royal Joseon blocks are almost exclusively held by the National Museum of Korea or the Advanced Center for Korean Studies (ACKS). Private ownership of a 1791 Royal Commission block is a generational event.