Portrait of Chief Minister Han Ik-mo
last half of 18th century
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
This sensitive portrait depicts a gentleman who served as prime minister in 1772. He wears a samo, the black silk hat of a high-ranking court official, with its distinctive wing-like protrusions of woven horsehair. In his depiction of the flaps, the artist captures the patterns created when two layers of fine mesh overlap. Unlike the wide-brimmed gat, which was worn by all members of the upper classes, the samo was initially reserved for the most important courtiers. Like many trappings of royalty, the samo was later adopted by commoners as part of wedding-day regalia: until recently it was the standard headgear for bridegrooms.
Caption
Portrait of Chief Minister Han Ik-mo, last half of 18th century. Ink and light color on silk, 62 3/8 × 26 1/8 in. (158.4 × 66.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John P. Lyden, 86.271.7. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Frequent Art Questions
This Korean hat is so distinctive. What’s behind this design?
Hats were a status symbol in Joseon period Korea. Men had different hats for different occasions. Black was the most common color and red (like the example below this portrait) was for elite members of government. On the other side of the case you will see another hat made of horsehair that takes the form of a mountain range with tall peaks, and was meant for scholars! The hat that the man wears in this portrait, meanwhile, is the hat that would be worn by high ranking court officials.Tell me more about these hats.
Hello! Korean men covered their heads at all times during the Joseon period, and had different hats for different ranks and occasions.Although the women's items are more ornate, they still had relatively lower position than their husbands?
Yes, the women were not held to the Confucianist standards that men were. Women's items were seen as frivolous and distracting. At the time, men and women led almost entirely separate lives. Wealthy Joseon period homes, for instance, allowed men and women to entertain guests of their respective gender without ever interacting with each other.Tell me more/
This is a portrait of Han Ik-mo, a late Joseon official who served as prime minister in 1772. He wears a samo, the black silk hat of a high-ranking court official.It's painted in ink on silk and it dates to the second half of the 1700s.
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