Portrait of Imjang

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1503

Category

Painting

Era

1613년경

Designated year

2006

Location

서대문구, 서울특별시— 서울 서대문구 연세로 50, 연세대학교박물관 (신촌동,연세대학교)

Coordinates

37.564660, 126.939484

Im Jang (1568-1619) was a civil official during the mid-Joseon Dynasty. This portrait is in the typical portrait style of meritorious subjects in the early part of the 17th century. The subject is dressed in a ceremonial robe and seated on a chair, in a three-quarter view from the left, and both hands folded under long sleeves. His feet are spread wide apart on a footrest covered with a rush mat; the chair and the footrest are placed on a colorful carpet. The subject’s left eye is slanted upward higher than the right eye and the strands of his scanty moustache and beard are carefully described in differing lengths, which implies the painter worked with the subject sitting before him. The silver pheasant design on the rank badge and the silver-ornamented sash speak for the subject’s official rank. Thick black lines delineate the robe and its folds without color wash. Records about Im’s appointment as a meritorious subject are found in Injo sillok (Annals of King Injo) – entry for the second day of the ninth month in the first year of King Injo’s reign – and Royal Certificate of Meritorious Subject Issued to Seong Si-heon. These documents say he was named a third-rank meritorious subject in 1613.

Location