Ancestral shrine painting
Filial piety, or honor and respect for parents and grandparents, is a central principle of Confucianism. Ceremonial rituals honoring one’s ancestors, called jesa, were fundamental to Joseon society. Jesa were performed in a sadang (an ancestral shrine hall) with name tablets and a table bearing food and drink offerings. This painting depicts the exterior of a sadang with an offering table in front of it. Ancestral shrine paintings were used as substitutes by people who did not have a sadang or who were conducting the rites away from home.
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