영조어진과 봉안처에 대한 재고찰 - 어진의 다양성과 의미, 봉안처의 기능을 중심으로 -

Abstract

This article revisits portrait paintings of King Yeongjo (r. 1724-1776) and their enshrinement places, drawing from Brief Notes on Royal Genealogy (Seonwon gyebo giryak) and King Yeongjo’s writings. It focuses on the diverse iconography and significance of the portraits, as well as the roles of their enshrinement places within the political context of King Yeongjo’s reign. During his lifetime, King Yeongjo produced more than ten portraits of himself on six different occasions. With the exception of the 1773 full-length portrait in a dragon robe, which was officially commissioned by the Temporary Office for Royal Portrait Production, King Yeongjo rendered his portraits and their associated enshrinement places official by documenting them in the Brief Notes on Royal Genealogy, which were revised and published 28 times during his reign. These portraits were shown to and disclosed to court officials before being documented in the books. While King Yeongjo was alive, only full-length portraits of him in official attire and their corresponding enshrinement places, such as Taeryeongjeon and Mannyeongjeon, were recorded in the Brief Notes on Royal Genealogy. In contrast, half-length portraits, portrait sketches, and informal attire portraits were included in the 1779 edition of the Brief Notes on Royal Genealogy, published after his death. Consequently, the enshrinement places for these informal portraits, such as Yuksanggung (his biological mother’s shrine) and Changuigung (his residence before accession), were also recorded in the book. King Yeongjo commissioned various types of portraits, including those in informal attire, such as a gentlemen’s everyday coat (dopo) and a wide-brimmed horsehair hat (gat) or a square hat (bangguan), as well as portraits in official attire, including a full ceremonial gown, a red robe for court audiences, and dragon robes. The 1714 portrait presented by King Sukjong, known as the Portrait of Prince Yeonning, served as a visual symbol of his political legitimacy since its documentation in the 1725 edition of Brief Notes on Royal Genealogy, published right after his accession. This portrait also played a pivotal role as justification for King Yeongjo’s commissioning of portraits of himself throughout his reign. In 1733, as he pursued a monarchy-centered political approach, the king began commissioning portraits of himself. Particularly noteworthy are the portraits from 1744, which served as commemorative depictions of his entry into the Agency for the Elderly (giroso), following in the footsteps of King Taejo and King Sukjong. They also functioned as visual representations of the political ideology established by the Grand Instruction of 1741. King Yeongjo frequently donned a gentlemen’s everyday coat paired with a wide-brimmed horsehair hat during private audiences with officials, archery tests, small banquets honoring elderly officials, and visits to his biological mother’s shrine. In one of the 1757 portraits, King Yeongjo was depicted wearing this attire, while the other 1757 portrait displayed the king in his everyday coat and a square hat. The 1763 portrait, depicting him at the age of 70 in a red robe for court audiences, prominently featured an armrest and a walking stick. These items symbolized his entry into the Agency for the Elderly, serving as a commemoration and visualization of King Yeongjo following in the footsteps of King Taejo and King Sukjong. Lastly, the 1773 portrait, created when he reached the age of 80, and its sketch, was acclaimed as the most alike. The diversity found in King Yeongjo’s portraits proceeded the court officials’ inclination to commission portraits in various official attires and to incorporate commemorative objects in their portraits. Furthermore, these portraits would have influenced the production of portraits of Grand Prince Heungseon featuring a variety of everyday attire. Portraits of King Yeongjo were enshrined in four locations during his lifetime. Taeryeongjeon in Gyeonghuigung Palace and Mannyeongjeon in Ganghwado Island were established to ensure the preservation of the king’s portraits in an intact and permanent manner. They reflected King Yeongjo’s intention to follow in the footsteps of King Sukjong, who had built Seonwonjeon, a royal portrait hall in Changdeokgung Palace, and to serve his deceased father (King Sukjong) as if King Sukjong were alive by employing his portrait as a stand-in. In his later years, King Yeongjo took measures to formalize Yuksanggung and Changuigung, the informal locations, after his passing. He specified them as the designated ritual sites for bowing in his personal writings or through his will, thereby laying the groundwork for their official recognition. Through these steps, the status of these two places was elevated and enhanced as ritual places performed by subsequent kings in person.