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| Golden Seal of Queen Jeongsun, Consort of King Yeongjo, and its wrapping materials / Courtesy of National Palace of Korea |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
In the art of wrapping, external beauty is just as important as the substance. The royal court of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) was no exception and master craftsmen used the best materials to create wrapping cloths and boxes fitting royal objects.
An exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea (NPMK) sheds light on the sophisticated wrapping techniques used in the Joseon court.
There were many precious treasures and ceremonial objects, as well as daily goods, in the palace and the Bureau of Royal Attires was in charge of wrapping and packing them for protection and decoration.
"The wrapping materials used in Joseon royal households were splendid, but not vulgar," said Park Su-hee, a curator of the museum. "The color and design were sophisticated and the wrapping procedure was almost artistic."
The more valuable the contents, the more elaborate the wrapping. The Bureau of Royal Attires managed the Pavilion of the King's Official Ceremonial Robe, which stored official garments of the king and crown prince. Each piece of the robe and matching accessories were wrapped in cloths and stored in a wooden box with three drawers. The king's robe box was lacquered in red, while the box for the crown prince was black to show the difference in status.
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| Wrapping materials and a Cloud-and-Treasure patterned box with a set of Twin Rings and Ornamental Daggers |
The twin rings belonged to Crown Princess Uimin, the last crown princess of the Joseon Kingdom. They were first encased in a piece of thick paper and then wrapped in silk cloth. The package was placed in a wooden box covered in cloud-and-treasure patterned silk and the name of the contents was written on the box.
A pendant in the shape of Buddha's hand, made from coral and jade, was wrapped with a wad of cotton for protection, before being wrapped in silk.
To maintain the intricate shape of jewelry such as hairpins, small pillows were placed to hold up the objects.
One of the most popular materials for various purposes was "bojagi," or wrapping cloth. The materials varied from linen and oil paper to silk and cotton padding.
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| Double-layered wrapping cloth for a silver bowl |
"The large, single-layered wrapping cloths were used to wrap up bedding or used in the storeroom," Park said. "Double-layered wrapping cloths require twice the fabric and were assumed to be used for more luxurious objects. Cotton-padded ones were for more fragile objects such as dishes or silverware."
The royal wrapping cloths were not in patchwork style, which was common among the people. Instead, the court used specially produced fabrics with patterns of auspicious signs such as the phoenix, peony and vines, and butterflies and flowers.
The royal wrapping technique was also specialized in creating cases and boxes to fit specific objects.
The Royal Genealogy was an oblong shape and in an accordion-fold. Its case was made from paper covered with silk, just the size of the genealogy book.
The case for a gentleman's hat was also in the shape of the hat, adding a cylindrical shape on a square bottom.
The royal seals and state seals also went through multiple wrapping steps as an honor, as well as for protection. The seals were wrapped in a red silk cloth, placed in a metal case, wrapped again in a cotton cloth, placed in a wooden box, wrapped in another cotton-padded cloth and finally tied up with a pair of purple straps.
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| Royal Edict of Queen Hyohyeon's Investiture as the Queen Consort of King Heonjong wrapped in a silk cloth and placed in a wooden box |
When proclaiming a eulogistic posthumous title of a king or a queen, a Jade Investiture Book was created to document the title and the receiver's achievement. The book was made from jade tablets, ranging from two to 18 tablets.
Since the jade carvings were heavy, cotton-padded layers were placed between each tablet. The jade book was placed in an inner box, wrapped in a cloth, placed in an outer box and then wrapped in cloth again.
The exhibit runs until Sept. 3. Admission is free. For more information, visit gogung.go.kr or call 02-3701-7500.
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