Portrait of Bak Sa-ik

Bak Sa-ik (1675-1736) was a civil official of the late Joseon dynasty who served under Kings Gyeongjong and Yeongjo. His clan seat was Bannam; his courtesy name was Gyeomji, his pen name Noju, and his posthumous title Jangik. He was a descendant of Bak Dong-ryang and the son of Bak Pil-ha, who held the post of Chambong. In 1710 (the thirty-sixth year of King Sukjong) he passed the saengwon examination, and in 1712 he placed in the byeonggwa grade of the special civil examination, whereupon he was selected as a court historian and concurrently held the post of Seolseo, lecturer to the Crown Prince. He went on to serve as Diarist, Censor and Compiler, and was selected for the Dodangnok, the register of candidates recommended for senior office. In 1717, in order to care for his elderly parents, who were nearing seventy, he requested a posting away from the capital and served as magistrate of Gangseo. He later served as Deputy Section Chief, and, on behalf of Crown Prince Gyeongjong, who was then acting as regent, submitted a memorial addressing the most pressing matters of state, which was adopted; he was subsequently appointed Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel. After Gyeongjong's accession he served as Governor of Jeolla Province, but when the Sinim sahwa, a political purge arising from the fierce conflict between the Noron and Soron factions, broke out, he was banished to Taein for failing to attend the covenant meeting of meritorious subjects, and was later moved to Cheongha. When King Yeongjo came to the throne he was released from exile and had his official rank restored; he went on to serve as Third Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and, as Yusu, the governor-general, of Ganghwa, repaired the fortifications of Ganghwa. In 1727 (the third year of King Yeongjo) he was appointed Minister of War by special royal order, and was subsequently ennobled as Prince Geumwon. He went on to serve as Inspector-general, then as Minister of Punishments, Minister of Works and Minister of Rites, and finally as Second Deputy State Councilor. He died in 1736 (the twelfth year of King Yeongjo). He was renowned for his calligraphy, and inscriptions such as the stele for State Councilor of the Right Min Jin-won and the stele for Second Minister of Rites An Jeok survive as his work. The Portrait of Bak Sa-ik bears the inscription "Portrait of the Squire of Geumwon at fifty-two" in the upper right of the painting, and depicts him as a full-length seated figure in a chair, wearing a black official's cap and a green official robe. His face is turned slightly to the right in a three-quarter left profile, and his hands are held together in the gesture of respectful repose. The height of the cap is considerable, reflecting the fashion of caps in the early years of King Yeongjo's reign. On his chest is a crane-and-gold belt denoting the rank of Senior Second Grade, along with a rank badge bearing a paired-crane design. A tiger skin is spread over the chair, and between his two shoes, splayed in a figure-of-eight on the footrest, the tiger's face appears, while the tiger's paws rest naturally on either side outside the footrest; no woven mat or rush mat is laid on the floor. The face is rendered overall in a bright flesh tone, with the outline and features defined in a somewhat darker line. The eyebrows are carefully drawn in pale ink, breaking off and resuming partway, and a touch of red has been added at the inner corners of both eyes. The upper and lower eyelids are drawn in black lines, and eyelashes are shown only on the upper lid. A reddish wash has been applied beneath the bridge of the nose and the tear troughs, and across the brow and forehead, giving the face a sense of three-dimensionality. The beard was painted with a base of gold-tinged ink and drawn strand by strand; though sparse, it lends a refined air. The vertical furrow between the brows and the mole beneath the ear capture Bak Sa-ik's individual features well, and his rather stiff, dignified expression conveys his temperament. The folds of the robe are rendered chiefly in outline, with a slightly darker wash around the fold lines to indicate where the cloth gathers; in keeping with the costume of the period, the wide sleeves cause the folds below the clasped hands to hang in a somewhat crumpled manner, a feature also found in official portraits painted in court dress in the early eighteenth century.

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Where it is

Region

Seongnam, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물