이경억 誌石 연구

Abstract

This study examines the memorial stone of Lee Gyeong-eok who held office as the first vice-premier in middle Joseon. A memorial stone is one of the grave relics buried underground in the last procedure of a funeral. It primary provides historical data based on the vivid records of a buried person from birth to death and burial including name, public post, genealogy of ancestors, birth and death dates, achievements, burial plot, and exposure. Such vivid records can serve as loyal biographical data for the buried person, thus telling his or her personal history. Lee was a literati official during the reigns of King Injo (1644)~King Hyeonjong (1672) in Joseon. He won first place in the regular state examination for literati officials in 1644 (22nd year of King Injo's reign). His career as a government official began with Jeonjik, and he held office as a minister of Ijo, Hojo, Yejo, and Hyeongjo until 1672 (13th year of King Hyeonjong's reign). After serving Hanseong as the mayor, he moved up to the second and first vice-premier position. He was one of the representative figures of the Gyeongju Lee clan that brought glory to the family. The memorial stone of Lee Gyeong-eok was made and buried in 1702, 29 years after his death. It is a rectangle memorial stone made of white and blue porcelain and comprised of a total of 13 parts. Those days marked the golden era of memorial stones made of white and blue porcelain in Joseon. Rectangle memorial stones made of white and blue porcelain like the memorial stone of Lee Gyeong-eok were a huge vogue in the nobility during the time. Lee's memorial stone was in the content organization system of Pyojemun, Jimun, and Myeongmun, being a rare case among memorial stones in Joseon. It is a good example to show the typical characteristics of the memorial stones of noblemen in the 18th century. Lee is well-known to some degree thanks to literature materials including the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and Seungjeongwonilgi and records from his tombstone, a small headstone before the tombstone, and history. This is the first study on Lee based on his memorial stone. The study attempts to make a more specific approach to his achievements by comparing and analyzing his memorial stone that had not been examined before with several literature materials. His memorial stone helped to supplement new materials about Lee that had been omitted from several literature materials.