Portrait of Sin Sukju

Portrait of Sin Sukju (1417–1475). Imperial Bureau of Painting. c. 15th century C.E. Korea. Hanging scroll (ink and color on silk).

• This painting depicts Sin Sukju (1417-75) as a “meritorious subject,” or an official honored for his distinguished service at court and loyalty to the king during a tumultuous time. 
• Skilled in capturing the likeness of the sitter while still adhering to pictorial conventions, artists in the Royal Bureau of Painting (a government agency staffed with artists) created portraits of officials awarded this honorary title. 
• The Chosŏn or Yi dynasty, was founded in 1392 by the military leader Yi Sŏng-gye and lasted until 1910. It was the last imperial dynasty and the longest in Korea's history.
• This painting shows Sin Sukju dressed in his official robes with a black silk hat on his head. 
• In accordance with Korean portraiture conventions, court artists pictured subjects like Sin Sukju seated in a full-length view, often with their heads turned slightly
• Crisp, angular lines and subtle gradations of color characterize the folds of his gown.
• Here, the subject is seated in a folding chair; In proper decorum, his hands are folded neatly and concealed within his sleeves. He wears a rank badge on his chest. 
• Sin Sukju’s rank badge shows a pair of peacocks amongst flowering plants and clouds.
• the facial features were painted with the goal of transmitting a sense of unique, physical likeness. This careful attention to the sitter’s face, such as wrinkles and bone structure, served the Korean belief that the face could reveal important clues about the subject.
• His thin, almond-shaped eyes are bright and clear, and his mouth is surrounded by deep grooves where his moustache meets his chin. His solemn visage exudes wisdom and dignity.
• The meticulous brushwork on Sin Sukju’s face is even more striking in comparison with the solid, undulating lines and bold blocks of color that define his attire. Highly skilled artists at the court may have collaborated on portraits, such that one artist may have painted the robes according to the prescribed rank or title, while another may have painted the face in great detail.  
• Sin Sukju was an eminent scholar and a powerful politician who rose to the rank of Prime Minister.
• In the course of capturing the throne, King Sejo arrested and killed his own brother, Prince Anpyeong, who Sin Sukju had also served until the prince’s untimely death.  
• Sin Sukju’s detailed records revealed the prince’s interest in Chinese paintings and his patronage of the Joseon court painter, Sin Sukju's commentaries have helped scholars to identify specific works and prompted speculation on the cultural exchange between China and Korea.
•  , Confucianism emphasized filial piety, or honor and respect for one’s elders and ancestors. Even more important than recording the sitter’s appearance and preserving his rank during life, portrait painting served as a focus for ancestral rituals after his death.
• Rendered in the format of a hanging scroll, this painting likely hung within the family shrine to guide the soul in the practice of ancestral worship. In this way, Portrait of Sin Sukju reflected both the honor that Sin Sukju brought to his lineage as a meritorious official as well as Confucian beliefs about the afterlife.  
• Confucianism is a philosophical system that stresses a moral and ethical order.