Neo-Confucian Family Precepts

On this screen, written in the fluid grass script style of calligraphy, are excerpts from the famous Neo- Confucian Family Precepts, compiled by the Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi (1130–1200). Zhu's manual contains information regarding the private performance of family rituals such as initiations, weddings, funerals, and rituals memorializing ancestors. It was among the bestknown books in late Joseon dynasty Korea.
The first panel begins: "Rise at dawn. Clean your house and yard in order to keep all corners immaculate. Go to bed at dusk. Lock the main entrance and the small gate, making sure all are securely checked. Appreciate the toil that went into making each bowl of rice and weaving each scrap of cloth. Be prepared before the rain, and do not dig a well after you have become thirsty."
Bak Gi-yang, a civil servant who passed the civil section of the government examination, rose to a firstgrade position (jeong ilpum) in the palace library. He can be identified as the painter of this work by the two seals on each panel, one in intaglio showing his full name and the other in relief showing his pen name, Seok'un.