Chungmuhu Ma Gwi Portrait, Hapcheon

This portrait depicts Admiral Ma Gwi (1541–1612), a general of Ming China who distinguished himself during the Jeongyu War, the 1597 phase of the Japanese invasions of Korea. Painted in colour on a silk ground, it is a full-length seated portrait, three-quarter view from the left, showing the subject in formal court dress with a gold-decorated ceremonial crown, seated in a chair draped with tiger skin, hands joined before him in a gesture of respect and holding a ceremonial tablet (hol). The subject's face is outlined in vermilion and coloured in flesh tones, with vermilion softly applied to both cheeks, the forehead, the earlobes and the ear canals to create shading. The roots of the moustache and beard are rendered naturally in fine black and white lines, and in particular the sideburns and the right side of the beard are depicted as if naturally blown by the wind. The outer ends of the eyebrows and the outer corners of the eyes are drawn rising naturally upward; the upper eyelid line is drawn in black ink and the lower in vermilion, after which the outer corners of the iris are shaded in a vivid pink to give them life. The iris is outlined in dark ink and coloured brown, with a black pupil depicted within. Unusually, each eye has two irises drawn overlapping one another. This, together with the upward-swept eyes and the firmly closed red lips, is thought to be intended to emphasise the subject's spirit and dignity as a general.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hapcheon, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료