Portrait of Seojiksu

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1487

Category

Painting

Era

1796년

Designated year

2006

Location

용산구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 용산구 서빙고로 137 (용산동6가, 국립중앙박물관)

Coordinates

37.524041, 126.980350

Seo Jik-su (pen-name Shipwooheon; 1735-?) of the Dalseong Seo Clan was a nephew of Seo Myeong-gyun, who served as first state councilor. Seo himself never joined the ranks of officialdom even though he passed the lower-level civil service examination for literary licentiates. Instead he spent his lifetime producing poetry, painting and calligraphy. He wrote the colophon at the top right, which reveals that the portrait was jointly produced in 1796 by Yi Myeong-gi, the most celebrated portrait painter of the time, who painted the face, and Kim Hong-do, another famous painter, who painted the body. The portrait depicts Seo at the age of 62, wearing a tiered black horsehair hat and an overcoat with a black knitted sash. He is standing in his traditional Korean socks and shown in four-fifths view from the left. This is a very rare example of a full-length standing portrait, as the majority of Joseon Dynasty portraits depict a seated subject. Even more importantly, this is a joint work by the two most celebrated painters of their day. They used outstanding techniques for the expression of contour, perspective and chiaroscuro, resulting in a dignified masterpiece. ㅇ Dimensions (L x W): 148.8x72cm"

Location