The left is a painting titled Beauty by Shin Yoonbok probably in the late 1700s in Korea. It depicts a type of beauty at the time.
Can you guess who this woman was? My guess is as follows. Based on her up-do hairstyle, she might be a married woman. The woman could come from a wealthy family because only wealth people could afford the details in their appearance of the clothing. The dress is called Han Bok, and it has such a taste of the style in the 1700's, even though it looks just simple. The top has a small patches with a different color on the neckline, armhole, and sleeves (the crimson color created an illusion to make clean silhouettes and a strong contrast to draw attention with the white collar), which is called 3-Huechang, a detail popular for young women. The skirt color is muted but it has detailed pleats and the silky texture based on the shape of creases. And she is holding a precious ornament on her chest. However, during this period, it must be almost impossible to make an ordinary woman a model for male painters (the painter was a male), so she might be a courtesan. Otherwise, she could be an imaginary beauty in his mind. Regardless of the existence of the real model, the clothing this woman wears is exquisite and her attitude are all so delicate and beautiful!
The right is an image found on the web. It seems so similar to the women in the painting. It must be the instantiation. I admire the effort to reproduce the delicate beauty a long time ago as a real walking woman.
