King Sejong (r. 1418-1450) of the Joseon dynasty was the most distinguished Confucian ruler of the early Joseon period. "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels" (Jegidoseol) recorded in the Annals of King Sejong (Sejong Silok) provided the most important standard for Joseon ceremonial artifacts for 500 years after the dynasty was established in the 15th century. Taking Neo-Confucianism as its state ideology, the Joseon dynasty positioned itself as one of the feudal states (jehuguk) to the Ming dynasty-the Empire of the Son of Heaven (cheonjaguk). During the early Joseon dynasty, the essential principle for establishing rites and ritual systems was to abide by the ancient system (goje) of China. Those who participated in designing Joseon rituals were all Neo-Confucian scholar-officials, who were followers of the Chinese scholar Zhu Xi (1130-1200). They acquired their understanding of ancient Confucian systems through Zhu Xi's interpretation of the ritual classics. Zhu Xi's Diagrams of Ritual Vessels, included in his "Compendium of Rites for Confucius" (Shidian yishi), eventually became the most important foundation for the "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels" in the Annals of the King Sejong. In addition, Joseon officials chose ritual vessels from other Chinese ritual classics when the ones needed for their state rites were nowhere to be found in Zhu Xi's "Compendium of Rites for Confucius." Thus, the Joseon dynasty gradually built its ritual artifact system. "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels" in the Annals of the King Sejong had their origins in various Chinese ritual classics from diferent historical contexts. Their combination, however, was a re-enactment of the ideal past, reflecting the imagination and pursuit of the antiquity of the Joseon dynasty in the 15th century. The standard established in the "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels" also affected the creation of ritual art in the early Joseon dynasty. The porcelain ritual wares were used as a substitute for metal ritual vessels. Although the materials were different, the porcelain ritual vessels were still faithfully modeled from the images of metal examples in the "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels,"thus facilitating the formation of a special porcelain style. The paradigm of ritual artifacts established by the "Pictorial Illustrations of Ritual Vessels" continued throughout the Joseon dynasty and became the canon for later generations.
