Portrait of Bak Mun-su (1994)

These are two portraits of Bak Mun-su, a civil official during the reign of King Yeongjo of Joseon. Bak Mun-su (1691–1756) passed the civil service examination in the third class in 1723, after which he served as a secret royal inspector (amhaeng eosa), exposing corrupt officials and working to relieve the suffering of the poor. The two portraits, handed down in the family's head household, differ in size: one measures 100 cm wide and 165.3 cm tall, and the other measures 45.3 cm wide and 59.9 cm tall. The larger of the two depicts him at the age of 38 and follows the typical format of a meritorious subject's portrait (gongsinsang). It is a full-length work showing him seated on a chair covered with a tiger skin, his clasped hands tucked into his sleeves, and his feet placed on a footrest in the splayed shape of the character 八. He wears a green official robe with a rank badge embroidered with two cranes and clouds on the chest, and a belt with gold ornaments. His face is depicted as refined with a sparse beard, and the use of shading suggests the work of a highly skilled court painter. The other portrait, a half-length work rendered with fine technique, shows him wearing a red official robe. Both portraits are well preserved and are works of outstanding quality.

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Where it is

Region

Cheonan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물