Two Suwon City Portraits Designated as National Treasures

Suwon City announced on the 7th that two portraits—one donated by the descendants of Beoan (樊巖) Chae Je-gong (蔡濟恭, 1720–1799) and another by the Sangju Park Clan—have been designated as national treasures by the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Among the portraits of Chae Je-gong, which were donated in October of last year, the version held by Suwon City in contemporary dress style (時服本) was officially designated as National Treasure No. 1477-1, while the portrait of Park Yu-myeong, donated in June 2005, was designated as National Treasure No. 1489.

The portrait of Park Yu-myeong is evaluated as having exceptionally high cultural value as a work embodying the typical form of 17th-century meritorious subjects' portraits, featuring a civil official's badge with tiger patterning, and is highly regarded for its cultural heritage significance.

Park Yu-myeong (朴惟明, 1582–1640) was a military official of the mid-Joseon period who participated in the Injo Restoration and was granted the rank of 3rd Class Jeongsa Meritorious Subject (靖社功臣).

The portrait of Chae Je-gong is a work by Lee Myeong-gi, a master of late Joseon portraiture. Unlike other portraits, it is accompanied by a pencil sketch (초본), which scholars regard as an important resource in Korean art history, demonstrating that pencils were imported and used in Joseon Korea in the late 18th century.

The city plans to display approximately 28,800 artifacts at the Suwon History Museum, scheduled for completion by the end of this year, including the two treasures designated as national treasures, approximately 25,600 artifacts previously donated to the city, and approximately 3,200 recently acquired artifacts.

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