Hawk at Sunrise
Attributed to Jeong Hong-Rae 정홍래 鄭弘來 Korean
Not on view
Birds of prey, like this hawk, were symbols of strength and righteousness and this is conveyed through the hawk’s fierce stare and regal pose. This painting modifies the earlier 15th-16th-century Joseon depictions of trained birds of prey tied to and perched on ornamented stands. From the early Joseon, birds of prey were associated with the Imperial Censorate, an office that required courage and keen sense of justice. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the heroic hawk is placed within an auspicious environment of buoyant waves, blue-green rocks, and red sun.
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