Portrait of Ijungro

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1174-2

Category

Painting

Era

조선시대(17세기 초)

Designated year

2004

Location

용인시, 경기도— 경기도 용인시 기흥구 상갈로 6 (상갈동, 경기도박물관)

Coordinates

37.268330, 127.108756

The portrait depicts the full figure of Yi Jung-ro sitting on a chair wearing official garments (dallyeong) and hat (osamo). The rank badge on the chest embroidered with peony flowers and mythical unicorn lion (haetae) and the golden belt around his waist indicate that the portrait was painted when he served as a military official in junior second rank. This portrait has several distinct features. First, the hat is considerably lower than that in other portraits, and the pieces attached to each side of the hat are round and wide, drawn in black bordered with thick rims. Second, the left and right shoulders are drawn differently in terms of shape and angle, probably to emphasize the posture slightly turning to the right. While the left shoulder is round and full, the right one is slimmer and more slanted. Third, there is a difference in the degree of inclination between the upper and lower body. The upper body including the face is turned so that about 70% of the area depicts the left side, whereas the lower body is turned slightly less. Therefore, unlike the earlier “Portrait of Meritorious Subjects” in categories such as Seonmu, Hoseong, and Cheongnan, which depicted the garment with only a left side-slit, this painting shows the slit on both sides. This may have been only possible when the man’s waist is slightly twisted. The skin complexion is depicted in a light, bright tone, with the facial features (eyes, mouth, and nose) and contour expressed in brown lines except the upper eyelids drawn in fine black lines. The five protruding areas of the face (cheeks, nose tip, forehead, and chin) according to physiognomy are painted with a tinge of soft red. This may be an attempt to give a definition to the face according to the skull structure. The topcoat is outlined with thick black lines, and the creases are depicted simply without shading. The multi-color carpet on the floor occupies a substantial area of the background, making the painting look solemn. The portrait of Yi Jung-ro is considered to be the most typical portrait of a meritorious subject during the Joseon Dynasty in the early 17th century, and the painting technique is very intricate.

Location