Dream of the Peach Blossom Land
The Dream of the Peach Blossom Land (몽유도원도) is a landscape painting created by An Gyeon in 1447. On April 20 of that year, Prince Anpyeong dreamed of the mythical Mureungdowon and described it to An Gyeon, who completed the painting in just three days. The piece was inscribed with the title 'Dream of the Peach Blossom Land' at the Maejukheon Pavilion. This masterpiece features a bird's-eye view of a paradise filled with peach blossoms, a thatched hut woven with reeds, and an empty boat beneath a waterfall.
Measuring 38.7 cm in height and 106.5 cm in width, this painting closely relates to Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring'. Unlike typical scroll paintings, it unfolds its narrative from the lower left to the upper right. The lower left depicts the real world, while the right side illustrates the dream world. The expansive peach orchard and rugged cliffs are beautifully rendered, creating a harmonious contrast.
The painting is adorned with inscriptions from over twenty contemporary scholars, including Shin Suk-ju and Jeong In-ji, all in their own handwriting. This adds significant literary and calligraphic value, influencing the development of Korean landscape painting.
Currently, the Dream of the Peach Blossom Land is housed in the Tenri University Library in Japan. The circumstances of its departure from Korea remain unclear, but it is believed to have been looted during the Imjin War by Shimazu Yoshihiro, who took it from the Daejaam temple in Goyang. Despite speculation, there is no definitive proof of this event.
On September 29, 2009, the painting was exhibited at the National Museum of Korea as part of a special exhibition celebrating the museum's 100th anniversary, marking its first display in Korea in 13 years.
Image:
An Gyeon, 'Dream of the Peach Blossom Land' (1447), Important Cultural Property of Japan, Tenri University Library
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