A Portrait of King Taejo

A portrait of king is called ‘Eojin’. The production of Eojin was a national event which was superintended by a provisional office, and the whole process was recorded in Uigwe(royal protocols). A highly qualified painter was selected and the painting process was supervised by the King and his vassals. Special attention was paid to the enshrinement and preservation of Eojin. In particular, Taejo Eojin was enshrined in many places nationwide since he was a founding father of Joseon. This Taejo Eojin is a newly painted version based on that of Gyeonggijeon’s in Jeonju, painted in 1872(year 9 of Gojong) of . The color of a royal robe, throne and carpet was referred from the Taejo Eojin which was partly lost due to the fire in Seonwonjeon in Changdeokgung palace in August leap month in 1900. Taejo Eojin of Seonwonjeon was based on that of Yeongheung Jungwonjeon’s, produced in 1837(year 3 of Heonjong). At that time, Heonjong changed the color of a royal robe into red instead of blue.