Portraits of Yi Ha-eung

This is the set of Yi Ha-eung portraits held by the Seoul Museum of History. All five portraits of Yi Ha-eung in the museum's collection were painted by Yi Han-cheol, the outstanding eojinhwasa, a royal-portrait painter, of the late Joseon period. The first three of these — the black dallyeongpo (round-collared official robe) version, the geumgwan jobok (gilt crown and ceremonial court robe) version, and the waryonggwan (coiled-dragon cap) and hakchangui (crane-feather robe) version — were based on preliminary sketches made in 1863, the year of Emperor Gojong's accession, when Yi Ha-eung was 44, and were copied out in 1869, the sixth year of Emperor Gojong's reign, when he turned 50. The two painted later — the bokgeon (scholar's hood) and simui (scholar's robe) version, and the black geon (headcloth) and blue-robe version — are jugapsang, portraits made to mark one's sixtieth birthday (hwangap), painted in 1880, the seventeenth year of Emperor Gojong's reign, when Yi Ha-eung reached his hwangap at the age of 61. Each of the five portraits shows a different costume, and the caps, robes and accoutrements depicted are extremely splendid and grand; painted by Yi Han-cheol, the finest portraitist of his day, they are masterpieces of the highest order, showing outstanding descriptive skill and painterly refinement. Moreover, Yi Ha-eung's own handwritten title inscriptions — he was celebrated for his calligraphy — together with the separate red-paper title labels written inside the portrait cases, the court mounters' scroll mountings, tassels, wrapping cloths for the portraits, fragrance sachets, portrait cases and their wrapping cloths have all survived intact, offering a comprehensive glimpse into the refined and dignified culture of royal portraiture at the late Joseon court. Dimensions (height × width): black dallyeongpo version, 131.9 × 67.7 cm (painting) and 170.2 × 77.1 cm (overall); geumgwan jobok version, 130.8 × 66.2 cm (painting) and 172.0 × 75.9 cm (overall); waryonggwan-hakchangui version, 133.7 × 67.7 cm (painting) and 169.9 × 77.4 cm (overall); black geon and blue-robe version, 126.0 × 64.9 cm (painting) and 170.5 × 75.0 cm (overall); bokgeon-simui version, 113.7 × 66.2 cm (painting) and 153.2 × 75.7 cm (overall).

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Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물