Detail View: smart_test: Portrait of a Scholar Official

Portrait of a Scholar Official

Portrait of a seated Joseon era civil official. Behind him is a red lacquer table on which can be seen two archaic Chinese bronze vessels (a ding 鼎 and a gu 觚), and a red lacquer bottle. A sprig of prunus sits in the gu vessel. The official wears a dark blue official robe 官服. He also wears a a belt (角帶, gakdae), an official's black silk hat (紗帽, sa mo), and leather shoes. The tall crown of the hat is in keeping with a mid to early Joseon date, rather than late Joseon when the crown was apparently lower. His robe features a large twin crane rank badge 雙鶴胸背 (Ssanghak Hungbae) indicating that the official is of the third rank or above. The large size of the insignia, covering the whole chest, suggests that this portrait may be of earlier Joseon date (late Joseon insignia tended to be smaller in size). The painting is partially trimmed at edges; artist unidentified; Korean, active late Joseon dynasty (1392-1910).

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18th century

Unknown Artist

Scroll (mounted on canvas), brush and ink and opaque color on silk

Panel: 60 1/4 × 35 7/8 in. (153 × 91.1 cm) Framed: 62 15/16 × 39 15/16 in. (159.9 × 101.4 cm)

Gift of Jill and John Levi, from the Kate S. Levi 1991 Trust

2005.48