명재(明齋) 윤증(尹拯) 초상의 제작 과정과 정치적 함의

Abstract

Yunjeung(尹拯, 1629~1714) is one of the representative Neo-Confucianists (性理學者) in late 17th and early 18th century. He led a unique life as he never received any government post due to personal, ideational, and political suppression for his Neo-Confucian theory of faith and justice though the king granted him one as a prime minister. Most of the Neo-Confucianists in those days had their portrait drawn, but Yunjeung refused it strictly when his descendants and disciples tried to draw one of his. Thereby, his disciples and descendants disguised a painter named Byeonryang (卞良) as a Sien-pi(선비; 士大夫, gentleman) so that he could peek him to draw one. And he finished it at last after a lot of complications for three months from April till June, 1711. Neo-Confucianists from the early and middle of Joseon Dynasty did not have their portraits drawn for their Neo-Confucian ritual ideology whereas those in the middle and end of it had their portraits done aggressively for Neo-Confucian significance of self-discipline. However, Yunjeung did not have one drawn for the political suppression resulted from his Neo-Confucian theory of faith and justice based on his and his father’s extraordinary lives. However, Yunjeung’s descendants and disciples knew a portrait could be highly effective to unify families, academic schools, or political parties at that time when Sanrim (山林; famous Neo-Confucianists retired to hermitage in the mountain and forest) or Bungdang (朋黨; Faction) politics was developed and No-ron(老論; The Old Doctrine) and So-ron(少論; The Young Doctrine) were in severe confrontation. This is why they secretly drew his portrait despite his prohibition. The reason they drew his portrait in the summer of 1711 is that the situation was more vital and the political suppression on them was gotten rid of around that time as Yunjeung was appointed as a prime minster and both his father and grandfather were revered as ones, too. And in his portrait, he wears a simple and ordinary Dopo (道袍; clothes for the gentleman to wear in usual times) and Banggun (方巾; a square hat for the gentleman to wear in usual times) unlike other typical Neo-Confucianists of the time like Song Siyeol(宋時烈, 1607~1689) who is in Simui (深衣; a typical uniform for Neo-Confucianists) and Bokgun (幅巾; a typical hat for Neo-Confucianists) in this portrait following the example of Zhuzi (朱熹, 1130~1200). This is not just because he did normally wear Dopo and Banggun regarding himself as a jingsa (徵士; a gentleman without a government post though one has been granted by the king) but because he could not consider himself as one of the moralists or followers of Zhuzi like Song Siyeol or did not mean to call himself that since he was in severe conflict with Song personally, academically, or politically. In this sense, Yunjeung’s portrait can be considered as a crucial example which opens a new view to understanding of the characteristics and meanings of portraits in the middle and end of Joseon(朝鮮) Dynasty from a perspective of political context.