Detail

Shin Myeongyeon (申命衍, 1809–1886) was a scholar-painter active in the 19th century during the late Joseon period. He learned poetry, calligraphy, and painting from his father, Shin Wi (申緯, 1769–1845), and passed the military service examination at the age of 17. While holding various government positions, he continued to paint with dedication. His artistic sensibility, reflected in his works of floral paintings, bird-and-flower paintings, landscapes, the four noble plants, and portraits, was highly regarded among the literati of his time. The Folding Screen with Flowers and Plants, housed in the National Museum of Korea, is one of Shin Myeongyeon`s representative works. This ten-panel folding screen depicts a variety of flowers that bloom from early spring to autumn. Each panel is dedicated to specific flowers: plum blossoms and camellias on the first panel, daffodils and nandina on the second, purple wisteria on the third, white magnolias on the fourth, poppies and purple magnolias on the fifth, peonies on the sixth, hydrangeas on the seventh, lotuses on the eighth, hibiscus on the ninth, and chrysanthemums on the tenth. The main branches were painted using the molgolbeop (沒骨法, boneless brush technique) without contour lines, while the petals were delicately rendered with fine brushstrokes and vibrant colors. The original painting includes inscriptions in refined regular script, featuring classical poetic verses associated with each flower, as well as excerpts from GuangQunFangPu (廣群芳譜), a botanical encyclopedia from the Qing dynasty. The harmonious combination of painting and calligraphy not only enhances the elegance of the artwork but also reflects the deep interest that 19th-century Joseon scholars had in floriculture and horticulture.