Portrait of Yi Seong-yun

This portrait is thought very likely to be the Wiseong Meritorious Subject portrait awarded to Yi Seong-yun (1570–1620) when he was ranked second class among the Wiseong Gongsin in the 5th year of King Gwanghaegun's reign (1613). The Wiseong, Iksa, Jeongun and Hyeongnan meritorious-subject titles, granted in 1613 to those who had helped King Gwanghaegun overcome the aftermath of the Japanese invasions and ascend the throne, were all stripped when Gwanghaegun was deposed in the 1623 restoration that enthroned King Injo; the state confiscated and burned the meritorious-subject certificates and portraits of all those honoured. As a result, no portrait of a meritorious subject from King Gwanghaegun's reign had ever been properly documented, and their appearance remained almost entirely unknown. However, this portrait has been handed down together with the Wiseong meritorious-subject certificate within the family of Yi Seong-yun's descendants. The image shows the most typical form of early 17th-century meritorious-subject portraiture: the sitter wears a round-collared robe with hands folded before him, seated half turned to the right in a folding chair, with a magnificent felt mat spread on the floor and his feet, set slightly splayed, resting on a wooden footstool covered with a straw mat. Although Yi Seong-yun held only second-class rank among the Wiseong Meritorious Subjects, he was, it seems, both a senior member of the royal clan and a man widely respected for his exceptional character; accordingly, gold and silver are used with great splendour throughout the painting, the mineral pigments are exceptionally fine and vivid, and the execution overall is meticulous and refined, making this one of the finest examples among early 17th-century meritorious-subject portraits. It measures 178.4 x 106.35 cm (the painting) and 256.5 x 122.7 cm (overall).

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물