Portrait of King Taejo of Joseon

A portrait of Yi Seong-gye, King Taejo, founder of Joseon, 150 cm wide and 218 cm high. As founder of the state, Taejo's portraits were kept specially in several places from the start of the dynasty, 26 in all, but only this one at Gyeonggijeon in Jeonju survives. It is a full-length portrait of the king seated on the throne facing forward, in the royal winged cap and dragon robe, resembling the portrait of the Ming founder. The angular outline of the dragon robe and the garment jutting out at both legs are features seen in early Joseon portraits of merit subjects. The carpet on the floor was used in royal portraits up to King Sukjong, and its high tilt shows that this is an old manner of painting. The lavish dragons carved on the chair, also seen in the portrait of King Gongmin, appear in royal portraits from late Goryeo to early Joseon. The ridges of the winged cap are coloured to give depth, and the face is modelled with shading even though it is frontal. It was copied faithfully from the worn original in 1872, the ninth year of Emperor Gojong. Faithful to the original throughout, it handles admirably the frontal pose, the hardest in portraiture, and it is a precious source for the study of early Joseon portraiture.

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Where it is

Region

Jeonju, Jeonbuk

Designation

National Treasure · 국보