Yi Ahm
Yi Am (c. 1499 or 1507–1566) was a painter during the early- to mid-Joseon Dynasty. His extant paintings are famous for their unique depictions of animals, particularly dogs.
Also recorded as Yi Am · Yi Am. · Yi Am ii
Yi Ahm

Yi Am Uploader: Klaus314 · Public domain
- Occupation
- painter
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Yi Am (c. 1499 or 1507–1566) was a painter during the early- to mid-Joseon Dynasty. His extant paintings are famous for their unique depictions of animals, particularly dogs.
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Yi Ahm (born 1499) was a painter. The painter was born in Joseon. Works by Yi Ahm are held at Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q8053434 · wikipedia · Yi Am
In this article
Biography
Biography
He used washes of ink instead of distinct lines to define the animal bodies, a method that heavily influenced future Joseon bird-and-flower paintings. This influence spread to Japan as well; Tawaraya Sōtatsu's paintings of puppies with a similar technique have been considered a possible starting point for the development of the Rinpa school tarashikomi. The themes of natural harmony and familial love in Yi Am's animal paintings also influenced later Korean painters Byeon Sang-byeok and Kim Sik.
Yi Am (1499-?), "Hwanjogujado" (Puppies and flowers, birds). First half of the 16th c. Hanging scroll, 86 x 44.9 cm. Ink and light color on paper. Ho-Am Art Museum, Yongin.
Yi Am · 호암미술관

Yi Ahm, Attributed to Yi Am, Korean - Puppy Playing with a Pheasant Feather - Google Art Project
Attributed to Yi Am, Korean, 1499 - 1566 (1499 - 1566) – Attributed artist (Korean) Details on Google Art Project · 9gER8AAalPtulw at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level
Key facts
Key facts
• Hangul — %이암 • Hanja — 李巖 • Hangulja — %_정중 • Hanjaja — 靜仲 • Othername1 — Title • Hangul1 — ^두성령 • Hanja1 — 杜城令
Biography
Biography
Yi's date of birth is disputed. Sources indicate 1499 or 1507. He was the great-grandson of the fourth son of Sejong the Great, Grand Prince Imyeong and a cousin of Yi Jeong, another painter in the House of Yi. He was bestowed the rank title of Duseongnyeong by the king.
Career
Career
He was a renowned painter and contemporary of Sin Saimdang, alongside whom he was named as one of the five most famed literati painters at the time in the P’aegwan chapki. Yi's privileged descent allowed him access to Southern Song paintings that he studied as well as royal animals that he observed and painted. The degree of fidelity to the animals' natural appearances reflect the closeness that Yi could afford to have with royal pedigree hounds and captive hawks. Yi also painted human portraits. On January 15, 1545, he was invited to paint a posthumous portrait of King Jungjong of Joseon. In 2003, his painting, Hwajogujado (Flowers, Birds, and Puppies), the first Joseon painting depicting dogs, was designated a National Treasure of South Korea.
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Yi Ahm was born at Joseon.
Birthplace
Joseon.
Birth place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Yi Am”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q8053434: Yi Ahm
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hong, Sunpyo. Hwajohwa of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology. 2. 42–65. 1 January 2008. 10.23158/jkaa.2008.v2_03.
- 2.Lippit, Yukio. Puppy Love: The Legacy of Yi Am's Paintings in Edo-Period Japan. Korean Journal of Art History. 313. 35–57. 31 March 2022. 1225-2565.
- 3.Academy of Korean Studies. 이암 (李巖). 한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture].
- 4.Chung, Saehyang P. Turning Toward Each Other: Warmth And Intimacy in Chosŏn-Dynasty Animal Paintings. Acta Koreana. 9. 1. 53–87. January 2006.
- 5.Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. 30. 2009. 978-1-58839-310-4.
- 6.Park, J.P. A companion to Korean art. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 277–279. 2020. 9781118927021.
- 7.Seok, Kim. 우리는 언제부터 '우리 동물'을 그렸을까?. KBS 뉴스.
- 8.Korea Heritage Service. 보물 이암 필 화조구자도 (李巖 筆 花鳥狗子圖) : 국가유산포털 - 문화재청. Heritage Portal : CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION.
References
Citations
References
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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