Portrait of Kang I-o

Kang I-o (1788–?), whose clan seat was Jinju and pen name Yaksan, was a grandson of Gang Se-hwang. The Portrait of Kang I-o is a frontal half-length portrait, without background, showing the sitter wearing a black gauze cap (osamo) and a pink everyday official robe (sibok). Across the top of the painting, in clerical script, is written "A true portrait of Yaksan, painted by Sodang," and to its right, written vertically in Kim Jeong-hui's own distinctive Chusa-style regular script, is his eulogy for the portrait, signed "written by the old bearded one," together with his seals reading "Yeom" and "Chusa." This identifies the painter as Yi Jae-gwan (c. 1783 – c. 1838), well known for his portraiture, and shows that Kim Jeong-hui saw the portrait, composed a eulogy for it, and inscribed it himself. The pink robe is rendered with lively brushwork of varying thickness to describe its outline and folds, with variations in the depth of the pink wash used to add a sense of light and shade. The blue belt has a gilt ornament at its centre, though some of the gilding has flaked away. Judging from the face, beard and dress, the sitter appears to be in his forties. The work, mounted as a hanging scroll, is in good condition, and a coat of glue applied over the whole surface gives it a slight sheen. It is a fine example of early 19th-century portraiture that incorporates elements of Western painting technique while remaining relatively faithful to earlier tradition. Dimensions (height × width): 63.9 × 40.3 cm.

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Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물