Who painted Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year?

Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year was painted by Yi Jaegwan in 1820.

Where can I see Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year?

Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year is held by Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Artwork

Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year

Portrait of Scholar-official Ahn in his Fifties Year is an unspecified painting by Yi Jaegwan. It dates from 1820 and is held in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1820 by Yi Jaegwan, a self‑taught artist of the late Joseon era, this portrait presents a Korean scholar‑official in his mid‑fifties. The work is part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies Yi’s competence in both landscape and figure painting.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter is shown in formal attire typical of a high‑ranking official: a dark robe with a white collar, a black hat, and a white beard, all rendered with a dignified, forward‑gazing pose. Decorative motifs on the garment, notably a stylized bird on the chest, signal status and cultural symbolism associated with scholarly virtue.

Technique & Style

Yi employs precise brushwork to delineate the figure’s features and clothing, while the background is rendered in a light wash that recedes to emphasize the subject. Subtle use of color highlights the robe’s patterns, and faint Chinese characters in the upper right add a scholarly touch without distracting from the portrait’s focus.

History & Provenance

The painting entered the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s holdings after being acquired from a private collection, though the exact path from its creation in early 19th‑century Korea to the United States remains undocumented. Its presence in a major American museum reflects growing interest in Joseon‑period portraiture.

Context

During the late Joseon period, portraiture served both as a record of official rank and as a moral exemplar. Yi Jaegwan, though not formally trained, was recognized for his versatility across genres, and this work illustrates his capacity to capture the formal gravitas expected of a scholar‑official.

Artist & collection

Artist

Yi Jaegwan

Yi Chaegwan (Korean: 이재관; Hanja: 李在寬; 1783–1837) was a painter of the late Joseon period. Yi taught himself but excelled at almost all kind of genres in painting such as sansuhwa and inmulhwa.