Portrait of Nam Gu-man

Nam Gu-man (1629–1711) served as Daesaseong (Director of the National Academy) and Minister of Punishments in the early reign of King Sukjong, and became the leader of the Soron faction when the Noron and Soron split in 1683. In the upper right of the painting is written "A true portrait of Nam Yakcheon, retired Chief State Councillor, eulogised by the scholar and Chief State Councillor Choe Seok-jeong," and in the upper left is a long eulogy composed by Choe Chang-dae, who at the time held the post of Daesaseong. Choe Chang-dae held that post only in 1711, moving to higher office afterwards, so the use of this title makes it likely that the portrait was painted in 1711. The portrait shows the sitter in official robes, seated in a chair, as a full-length figure - notably with the face rendered frontally. He wears a black gauze cap (osamo), a green robe with a round collar (nokpo dallyeong), a rank badge embroidered with a pair of cranes, and a rhinoceros-horn belt (seodae). The most distinctive feature of the portrait lies in the treatment of the face: drawn frontally, it appears to have almost no outline, close to the "boneless" (molgol) technique, in which form is built with wash rather than line, and subtle, graded washes are used throughout to suggest its contours. The work is innovative both in its frontal viewpoint and in minimising line in favour of wash to convey the three-dimensionality of the face. This portrait is an important example of the new portrait types and techniques that emerged in the early 18th century.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물