Old Korean Paintings

Jeong Mong-ju, a civil minister in the late period of the Goryeo was murdered in the same year when Yi Seong-gye founded Joseon (1392). He was assassinated on the Sonjukkyo bridge in Kaesong following a banquet held for him by Yi Bang-won, the fith son of Yi Seong-gye who eventually became Taejong of Joseon later.

Jeong Mong-ju was murdered because he refused to betray his loyalty to the Goryeo dynasty. Yi Bang-won recited a poem to dissuade Jeong Mong-ju from remaining loyal to the Goryeo court but Jeong Mong-ju answered with another poem that affirmed his loyalty.

The bridge where Jeong was murdered in N Korea has become a national monument of that country. A brown spot on one of the stones is said to be Jeong Mong-ju's bloodstain and it said to become red whenever it rains.

Currently his direct surviving descendants are his 21st and 22nd generation. All of them reside in S Korea and the U.S.

The portrait of Jeong Mong-Ju
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Different version, better quality
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Most unmarried women had a braided ponytail.

A drawing from 무산쾌우첩 / 巫山快遇帖 (late 19C ~ early 20C)
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Kim Jun-keun (김준근/ 金俊根)'s drawings from the late 19th C.
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The extravagant hairdo is called "Eonjeun-meori" (얹은머리). It is well-known because of the entertainers but it was common for married women in all walks of life until mid Joseon. The class difference was the accessories and wigs added to make their hair fuller. King Youngjo tried to ban the hairdo in 1756 because of the vanity problems and even occasional neck injuries but he soon lifted the ban. King Jeongjo banned it again in 1788 and promoted "Jjok-meori" (쪽머리) for married women instead. It took a century for the new hairdo to become common. Many commoners still sported Eonjeun-meori with no wig. In terms of the types of basic everyday attire, there was no fundamental difference between the Yangban (aristocrats) and commoners. Commoners didn't use accessories, used plain cloth, and often pulled up their skirts for physical activities.

Eonjeun-meori.
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Jjok-meori. This has become the typical hairdo. They used a big hairpin called "Binyeo" to fix their hair.
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More drawings from Kim Jun-keun.
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LOL
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Something random. Riot Games donated 600 million won from selling Korean-style character skins in LOL to the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration who then bought this painting from the Hermitage Museum in Virginia. It's rare that 摩訶迦葉 and 阿難陀 are positioned right next to the Buddha. Both dimensions are bigger than 3 meters.

석가삼존도 / 釋迦三尊圖 (early 18th C, Joseon)
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I like it. It's very distinct and bold (the colors and expression) and the shapes are exaggerated (eyes wide open and the limbs very extravagant); it's like a combination of an earlier native shamanic perspective (esp. the early ones very unique) + Chinese influence (on the latter ones). The shading is cool (very attentive to subtle change of shadows/tint) and the shapes are reminiscent of abstract.

I wish I could categorize them and put them in chronological order but I'll just post examples and let experts sift them out. If there's an existing thread, please merge.

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