Made in China?
Thus far I have introduced ch’aekkado as a uniquely Korean genre of painting, but those who have paid close attention might have noticed that many (if not all) of the objects depicted in, the symbols included in, and the inspirations for the genre come from China and/or Europe. Granted, the Koreans were the first to paint a curio cabinet on a folding screen, abandoning the physical concept of cabinets of curiosities altogether… but is that all? Certainly not.
This particular type of ch’aekkado strikes a close resemblance to the earliest forms of the genre, sometimes also referred to as “court-style ch’aekkado”. The style, the colors, and the iconography found in court-style ch’aekkado show only little variety. In the early stages the genre was of course bound by the strict regulations of the court. King Chŏngjo actually personally curated the objects displayed in the paintings he commissioned, leaving no room for missteps. And because the genre of ch’aekkado came up in a time of peak interest in imported goods from China, it follows that the objects shown off in the paintings were, in fact, imported from China and/or Europe.
In terms of symbols, it makes sense that the Chinese and Koreans used the same ones. Through centuries of close diplomatic relations and intensive cultural exchange, many cultural elements (more so in the upper strata of society than amongst the common folk) were very similar. That is not to say Korean culture was a second-rate duplicate of Chinese culture, or that the Koreans did not have any Korea-specific iconography. It simply took some time before Korean artists started replacing Chinese objects and icons with native Korean things and symbols.
Next to the bowl of imported fruits (melons and pomegranates) stands a cup with brushes. Compare it to the other cup with brushes in this painting and you might see that these particular brushes come in five different colors. This is a Korea-specific amulet to ward off calamities and evil spirits, based on Korean indigenous beliefs.