Portraits of Yun Jeung

The full-length seated profile portrait bearing an ink inscription dated to 1744 is confirmed, through an entry in the Yeongdang gijeok - a manuscript recording the making of Yun Jeung's portraits - stating that four copies were made that year, one frontal and three profile, by the painter Jang Gyeong-ju, to be his work. The two 1788 portraits of Yun Jeung, bearing an ink inscription dated to 1788, are shown by the Yeongdang gijeok to have been copied by Yi Myeong-gi. According to the Yeongdang gijeok, one frontal and one profile portrait were painted with a new technique added, while, since the technique of the earlier versions could not be allowed to pass out of use, a further profile portrait was made following the old technique, entirely in the old method of copying. Of the two surviving portraits made by Yi Myeong-gi, one is a profile portrait close in appearance to Jang Gyeong-ju's portrait of Yun Jeung, following the old technique, and the other is a profile portrait in the new technique, showing Yi Myeong-gi's individual style and pronounced three-dimensional modelling. The two bust portraits, one frontal and one profile, bear no ink inscription, so their date of production cannot be determined precisely, but the frontal and profile portraits are presumed to be on the same silk and by the same painter. Comparing the profile bust portrait with the full-length portraits, its size and technique match those of the portrait painted by Jang Gyeong-ju. The Yeongdang gijeok that has been passed down together with the portraits is a manuscript recording the making of Yun Jeung's portraits: from the first portrait painted by Byeon Yang in 1711, through the copies made by Jang Gyeong-ju in 1744, Yi Myeong-gi in 1788, and Yi Han-cheol in 1885 - four instances of production in all. It records in detail the production schedule, the number of portraits made, and the process of enshrining the old and new versions. Given the importance of Yun Jeung in the intellectual history of the Joseon period, the surviving portraits painted by Jang Gyeong-ju and Yi Myeong-gi possess an outstanding pictorial quality representative of the late Joseon period. The Yeongdang gijeok is also a valuable record for understanding the process of portrait production and copying, and the tradition of sechо, the ritual disposal of superseded portrait drafts. In addition to the works proposed for designation as a Treasure, the head family also preserves several full-length seated portraits and preliminary sketches dating from 1919 and 1935. Dimensions (height × width): - 1744 full-length portrait: 111 × 81 cm (painted area), 190.1 × 101.0 cm (overall) - 1788 full-length portrait 1: 118.6 × 83.3 cm (painted area), 182.2 × 100.3 cm (overall) - 1788 full-length portrait 2: 106.2 × 82 cm (painted area) - Bust portraits (2): 59 × 36.2 cm (frontal), 59 × 36.2 cm (profile) - Yeongdang gijeok: 36.3 × 26.3 cm * Additional designation (23 April 2026): - 1885 full-length portrait: 116.7 × 83.0 cm (painted area), 190.5 × 96.2 cm (overall) - Yeongdang gijeok: 35.7 × 23.0 cm

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nonsan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물