Seonghwangsingimchong Tomb Portrait

Seonghwangsin, the object of worship in seonghwang (village guardian deity) belief introduced from China, refers to a village's guardian spirit. In Korea such deities have been venerated since the Goryeo period, when a seonghwangdang (Village Guardian Shrine) was built as the dwelling place of the deity's spirit and regular rites were held there to pray for the village's peace and prosperity. Korean village guardian deities are generally figures deified for their great service in protecting a village, and Kim Chong, founding ancestor of the Suncheon Kim clan, is likewise venerated as the guardian deity of Suncheon. The portrait shows Kim Chong wearing armour and a helmet, holding a spear in both hands, seated in a black chair; it is a full-length painting of him as a military figure. His eyes are round and wide open, and with his large nose and heavy beard his face resembles that of the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism — a technique, found in folk paintings of the late Joseon period, that blended shamanism with Buddhism. Overall, the painting combines orthodox portraiture with Buddhist painting technique. The pose of the deity, the chest area, the folds of the indigo official robe, the ink outlines beneath the chair's legs, and the wood-grain pattern are rendered in the orthodox portrait style of the 18th-19th centuries, while the blue carp-scale pattern of the armour and the red band at its edge follow the Buddhist painting technique popular in the same period. Such images of village guardian deities exemplify the folk shamanistic tradition, and this one is a fine example of the development of folk painting grounded in popular belief.

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Where it is

Region

Suncheon, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산