Yi Seong-won (1725-1790) was a civil official of the late Joseon Period who served as the Second and Third State Councilor. It is thought that this portrait was painted when he was in his 50s, during the time in which he served as the governor of Gyeongsang-do Province and then Pyeongan-do Province. The lifelike expressions of the subject’s eyes, nose, mouth, skin, and beard are quintessential features of portraits made during the Joseon Period.