Yi Si-bang Portrait (set)

Yi Si-bang (1594–1660) was the second son of Yi Gwi (1557–1633), Lord Yeonpyeong Buwongun, a key figure in the Injo Restoration, and the younger brother of Yi Si-baek (1581–1660), Lord Yeonyang Buwongun. A full-length portrait of Yi Si-bang in black official robes (heuktallyeongpo), designated as a Treasure, survives today. This set, the 'Yi Si-bang Portraits (set)', comprises a half-length version of the same black-robe portrait, a draft sketch on oiled paper, a portrait of him in old age wearing court dress (sibok), two further draft sketches, the wooden box in which the portraits were kept, and the wrapping cloth (bo) used to cover the mounted scroll frame. The half-length portrait in black official robes is almost identical to the full-length version, though somewhat less accomplished in execution; the inscription at the top of the painting suggests it was made after Yi Si-bang was posthumously conferred the title of Chief State Councillor. A draft sketch close in size to this half-length portrait is drawn with relatively skilled brushwork, but differs in detail from both the full-length and half-length black-robe portraits, so it cannot be established with certainty which finished work it was a preparatory drawing for. There are three portraits showing him in old age: one depicts him seated in a chair wearing pink court dress, while the other two are bust portraits in blue official robes. Although the dress differs, the liver spots on the face and the overall impression are so similar that they appear to have been painted at around the same time, and a crescent-shaped scar on the left forehead confirms that all three depict Yi Si-bang. The various portraits and draft sketches of Yi Si-bang together form an excellent example illustrating, in concrete detail, the conventions and purposes of portrait production in the Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yuseong-gu, Daejeon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산