Portrait of An Hyang

A half-length portrait, 29 cm wide and 37 cm high, of Hoeheon An Hyang (1243–1306), a scholar-official of mid-Goryeo. An Hyang passed the civil service examination in 1260, the first year of King Wonjong, and held many offices. On his several journeys to Yuan China he brought back the learning of Zhu Xi and spread it in Korea, and he can be called the country's first Neo-Confucian scholar. The picture is divided into upper and lower halves, with text above and the portrait below. He wears a flat-topped cap and looks to the left, the contours of the face drawn in red line. The folds of the clothes are handled simply in line, without shading. The direction of his gaze and the line of his shoulders give an impression of rectitude. In 1318, the fifth year of King Chungsuk of Goryeo, twelve years after his death, his portrait was enshrined with Confucius, and a further copy was made and placed in the local Confucian school. When the Baegundong Academy (later Sosuseowon) was founded in mid-Joseon, it was moved there, where it remains. It is the oldest surviving portrait in Korea, and as a record of the Goryeo manner of portraiture it is precious for the study of the history of painting.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

National Treasure · 국보