Now and again, in our search for works of art, we come upon a painting, ceramic, or metalwork, for which we have no clue as to its identity. But so engaging it might be that we find it irresistible and go ahead with its purchase with the idea that we can figure it out later. One of these works was the present painting depicting an elderly male figure holding a fan beneath stalks of bamboo and branches of blossoming plum where two pairs of mynahs cling to the branches, while a furry dark-coated companion crouches at his feet. We acquired the painting around 25 years ago from the inimitable Goro Sakamoto while visiting him in Kyoto and who back then shared in our bewilderment, but we, heads together, agreed that it must be Korean.
If a painting doesn’t quite look Chinese nor Japanese, then it must be Korean was the mental gymnastic played with by Goro then, and a Korean identity is we believe borne out by a number of features. Prominent among them is the presentation of only two of the usual ‘three’ friends of winter, here plum and bamboo with the absence of pine In Chinese art, where the combination appears to have originated, the three are invariably presented together as an established entity. In Korea, on the other hand, painters and potters were content with two, as is frequently seen in porcelains for example. Also interesting is the penchant to present birdlife in the form of two pairs, no more and no less, not a tendency commonplace elsewhere in Asian art.
Animals in Korean paintings often appear to be the products of rich imaginations. The creature here, wrapped in a very thick, soft, black-colored coat, is what we might expect a little black bear to look like complete with its little bear ears and bear claws, even though it does not strike us as a likely companion for an elderly gentleman. However, it could be in Korea and the creature a representation an Asiatic black bear, known in Korea as a “moon” bear, due to the white crescent-moon marking on their chests, not visible in the resent image. The “moon” bear is at the core of Korean creation myths which recount how such a bear was transformed into a human female who gave birth to the Korean people. The bear came to symbolize not only strength and resilience but patience as well, which we see it exhibiting here.
The elderly gentleman is further attired in garb that can be identified as Korean. The image of the head attire was taken from a vast wardrobe of hats known to have been current during the Joseon period—ranging from wide, flat-brimmed hats, another type that look like woven baskets flipped over to cover the head, and some even like paper bags pulled over the skull.. The hat here is most closely related to those worn by scholars and upperclassmen that are made of flattened angular elements, in some varieties stacked in tiers, and is worn in the image of representative of the three “religions” by the Confucian gentleman (fig. 1). The robe wrapped around the figure is lined and bordered with a contrasting decorative fabric, either silk or cotton, also not uncommon in Korean dress, in the comparative image here, the lining is patterned but not easily visible in the reproduction (fig. 2). Such linings provided warmth but also could indicate status and sometimes had a ceremonial function. Fans were available in a variety of materials and styles, here possibly a natural leaf treated with a coating to stabilize it before the attachment of a bamboo handle.
In portraits produced by Korean artists one notes especially the use of fine lineament to render facial features with characteristically expressive eyes, clearly defined creases and wrinkles, and facial hair so fine it appears that single brush hairs were applied to produce the desired effect (fig. 3).
In the end, the quiet authority of this painting lies in the convergence of iconography, costume, and brushwork that firmly situates it within the artistic world of Joseon Korea. The pairing of plum and bamboo rather than the full Chinese “Three Friends of Winter,” the distinctive Korean scholar’s attire, and the subtle rendering of facial features through delicate line all support a Korean origin. Even the enigmatic animal companion—perhaps a stylized representation of Korea’s moon bear—echoes themes embedded in Korean mythology and symbolism. Together these elements reveal a work that reflects the intellectual and visual culture of Joseon literati society, where nature, moral virtue, and quiet contemplation were intertwined.
Fig. 1: Li In-mun (1745–1821), “Confucian, Buddhist, & Daoist,” National Museum of Korea, Seoul, after Korean Beauty, vol. 20, (1990) pl 36.
Fig. 2: An Jung-sik (1861–1919), “Figure in a Raft,” Sogang University Museum, Seoul, Korean Beauty, vol. 20, (1990) pl 36.
Fig. 3: A 19th-century portrait, d. 1807, National Museum of Korea, after Korean Beauty, vol. 20 (1990), pl. 139.
Details:
Provisional translation:
Within wine, a dream;
the heart beholds plum blossoms.
Heavenly jade clarity.
An old man sites,
leisurely beneath flowers,
unaware of old age.
