Portrait of O Myeong-hang and Royal Certificate of Meritorious Subject Issued to O Myeong-hang

These are three objects: a portrait of O Myeong-hang (1673–1728), a civil official of the mid-Joseon period; a royal certificate conferring on him the title of first-class meritorious subject; and a wooden box that once held them. O Myeong-hang passed the civil service examination in 1705, the 31st year of King Sukjong, and went on to serve as Assistant Section Chief of the Ministry of Personnel, Minister of War, and State Councillor of the Right. In 1727, the third year of King Yeongjo, he was named a first-class meritorious subject for suppressing the rebellion of Yi In-jwa. The portrait, measuring 1.03 m wide and 1.74 m tall, is a full-length painting in colour on silk. The subject faces to the right, wearing a black official's cap and a dark blue-green official robe. The pair of embroidered cranes on the chest identifies it as a typical portrait of a meritorious subject, painted after the conferral of the title. The tall cap, the chair draped with tiger skin, and the feet set apart in a shape resembling the character "eight" (八) reflect the painting style of the period. The face, rendered in brown, uses red along the outline, jaw, and around the eyes to convey its contours, and even shows smallpox scars and a mole below the nose, capturing his stern, earnest expression. The certificate measures 289.5 cm wide and 42.9 cm tall, made by backing silk onto a base of mulberry paper. A dark blue cloth border about 2 cm wide was attached along the top and bottom, a red line was drawn around the rectangular frame, and 63 vertical lines were ruled, within which the text was written in black. The text records that, in recognition of the merit in quelling the rebellion, one first-class, seven second-class, and seven third-class meritorious subjects were honoured, and it lists the names of the fifteen men. Wooden rollers are attached to the left and right ends so that the certificate can be rolled up, and an inscription on the back states that it was made by Sin Chi-geun, with the text written by Jo Myeong-gyo.

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Where it is

Region

Yongin, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물