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Old Korean Hand Atlases
- By The Map Collector
- Published 1 September 1978
- Maps
- Unrated
The Map Collector
The Map Collector, initiated by Peter Scott and Valerie G. Newby, was a journal on historical cartography published every quarter. The first issue appeared in 1997 and continued for nearly 20 years. After 74 issues the last copy appeared in Spring 1996. Mrs. Valerie G. Newby, is presently editor of the IMCoS Journal.
www.imcos.org
By Shannon McCune
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
KOREAN STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS during the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910) copied or had printed by wood block, small hand atlases which now fetch about 50,000 Hwan ($100) in Korea when, as occasionally happens, they come on to the market for today's map collectors.
These unique and colourful atlases are so attractive that they often appear more valuable than they really are and they can be found in many major map collections in the United States and Europe [1] also in private collections in Korea and Japan.
This manuscript Ch'onhado, or world map, is a very common feature of Korean hand atlases. It opens out from six folds and was perhaps copied from a Chinese source. The place names are derived from mythical places noted in Chinese classics and from known lands around China, which occupies the centre 'of the map. The date of the map is unknown.
They are usually titled by three characters, pronounced in Korean Yojido, meaning geographical maps, and were used as reference materials for the reading of Chinese classics, for elementary geographical knowledge of the neighbouring lands of China, Japan and the Liu Chiu Kingdom and for more detailed knowledge of the eight Korean provinces and the counties or magistracies into which the provinces were divided. The prototypes of the maps came from historical materials prepared in the latter half of the 15th century. It is presumed that the earliest atlases were made soon after.
The size of the maps was regulated by the size of the paper sheets available rather than by any considerations of scale. Colour was often added by hand and references to populations, provinces, magistracies and distances were added to the margins or to the backing sheets. The maps were usually folded making them both convenient to use and carry.
Korean hand atlases came in various formats [2] and copies can be found in many libraries and private collections in Korea and Japan. [3] Whilst there are a number in large collections amongst affluent Koreans they are rarely offered to collectors in Western countries. But when they are they may be grossly over-priced because of lack of understanding of their value and character.
Also, the Republic of Korea has placed restrictions on the export of antiquarian material.
From the time of the visits of the famous cartophile, Leo Bagrow, [4] in 1912 and 1919 up to the present day they have been a staple commodity for sale in antique shops and old book stores in Seoul. In the days of Japanese control of Korea (1910-1945) the atlases sold for 500 to 1000 Yen (US $3). [5]
Recently the first asking price has been up to 50,000 Hwan (US $100) though the buying price could have been one-third or one-quarter of that amount or even less for an atlas that was missing one or more of the standard maps. [6]
These high prices which have continued to inflate since 1976 may well result in the manufacture of such atlases; after all, most of the old atlases are copies of copies. There would be no difficulty in making fresh copies on stocks of old paper or on paper hand-made in the old style. It would be difficult to detect any difference between an atlas made in 1878 and one made in 1978.
Shannon McCune, who is Professor of Geography and Director of Asian Studies at the University of Florida, first discovered Korean hand atlases in 1938 while on a geographic field trip to Korea. He studied them again nearly 40 years later when he returned to Korea as a visiting Fulbright Professor. Here, he traces their fascinating history and their relevance to map collectors today and expresses his fears that rising prices might encourage forgeries.
KOREAN STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS during the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910) copied or had printed by wood block, small hand atlases which now fetch about 50,000 Hwan ($100) in Korea when, as occasionally happens, they come on to the market for today's map collectors.
These unique and colourful atlases are so attractive that they often appear more valuable than they really are and they can be found in many major map collections in the United States and Europe [1] also in private collections in Korea and Japan.
This manuscript Ch'onhado, or world map, is a very common feature of Korean hand atlases. It opens out from six folds and was perhaps copied from a Chinese source. The place names are derived from mythical places noted in Chinese classics and from known lands around China, which occupies the centre 'of the map. The date of the map is unknown.
They are usually titled by three characters, pronounced in Korean Yojido, meaning geographical maps, and were used as reference materials for the reading of Chinese classics, for elementary geographical knowledge of the neighbouring lands of China, Japan and the Liu Chiu Kingdom and for more detailed knowledge of the eight Korean provinces and the counties or magistracies into which the provinces were divided. The prototypes of the maps came from historical materials prepared in the latter half of the 15th century. It is presumed that the earliest atlases were made soon after.
The size of the maps was regulated by the size of the paper sheets available rather than by any considerations of scale. Colour was often added by hand and references to populations, provinces, magistracies and distances were added to the margins or to the backing sheets. The maps were usually folded making them both convenient to use and carry.
This Ch’ onhado was printed by woodblock sometime after 1800. The lines supposedly indicate latitude and longitude.
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress>>]
[View complete atlas at the Library of Congress>>]
Korean hand atlases came in various formats [2] and copies can be found in many libraries and private collections in Korea and Japan. [3] Whilst there are a number in large collections amongst affluent Koreans they are rarely offered to collectors in Western countries. But when they are they may be grossly over-priced because of lack of understanding of their value and character.
Also, the Republic of Korea has placed restrictions on the export of antiquarian material.
From the time of the visits of the famous cartophile, Leo Bagrow, [4] in 1912 and 1919 up to the present day they have been a staple commodity for sale in antique shops and old book stores in Seoul. In the days of Japanese control of Korea (1910-1945) the atlases sold for 500 to 1000 Yen (US $3). [5]
Recently the first asking price has been up to 50,000 Hwan (US $100) though the buying price could have been one-third or one-quarter of that amount or even less for an atlas that was missing one or more of the standard maps. [6]
These high prices which have continued to inflate since 1976 may well result in the manufacture of such atlases; after all, most of the old atlases are copies of copies. There would be no difficulty in making fresh copies on stocks of old paper or on paper hand-made in the old style. It would be difficult to detect any difference between an atlas made in 1878 and one made in 1978.
