THREE SCENES WITH MILITARY PARADES Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), 19th century Painted in ink and colors on paper, the three scenes describe a military parade with infantry and knights grouped according to their rank and arranged in horizontal rows, all with wooden frames and protective glass. 66 x 39 cm each (75 x 48 cm including the frame) Provenance: Italian private collection, formerly owned by an Italian diplomat who lived in Korea in the second half of the 20th century. As specified by the title above (陵行圖, “Illustration of the procession to the imperial mausoleum”), these three paintings describe one of those Confucian rites that were held periodically at the Korean imperial court. These official documents, called uigwe, were made in several copies after the event and kept in memory of the same. Usually, as in this case, they consisted of illustrations and texts.