Seongbuk Seonjam Museum Special Exhibition 'Geumbak 金箔, Geumsu 金繡, Jikgeum 織金' Held

Gold-Threaded Cotton Jacket Woven from Fabric Unearthed from Early Joseon Pyeong Yun Family Mother and Child Mummies... Gold Leaf on Dangui Worn by Princess Deokhye, Last Princess of the Korean Empire, Around Her First Birthday... National Intangible Cultural Heritage Gold Leaf Masters Late Kim Deokhwan & Kim Giho, Embroidery Master Late Han Sangsu's Gold Leaf and Gold Thread Works

Geumsu Hwalot Hansangsu Embroidery Master Work

Joseon Royal Court Noodle Art 5th Generation Gold Leaf Master Kim Gi-ho Work

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] A special exhibition titled "Eternal Immortality: Wearing Gold - Gold Leaf 金箔, Gold Embroidery 金繡, and Gold Weaving 織金" is currently being held at the Seongbuk Seonjam Museum in Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu.

This special exhibition allows visitors to encounter the eternally shining gold in traditional Korean clothing and will continue until October 3rd.

Since ancient times, gold has been the optimal material to represent beauty, wealth, status, and authority due to its unique brilliance. Korea has used gold in clothing and accessories from an early period, and the crafts involving gold leaf and gold thread steadily developed through the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. Gold leaf (金箔) is applied to textiles, gold embroidery (金繡) is stitched with gold thread, and gold weaving (織金) involves weaving textiles with gold thread. Through the shining gold in traditional Korean clothing, visitors can experience the eternal and radiant beauty of our garments.

The exhibition features items such as the "Cotton-Padded Jeogori from the PaPyeong Yun Mother and Child Mummy Tomb" from the early Joseon period and the Dangui (a ceremonial jacket) of Princess Deokhye, the last princess of the Korean Empire, showcasing the beauty of gold in traditional clothing. Among the artifacts excavated from the PaPyeong Yun mother and child mummy, discovered and studied by Korea University Museum in 2002, the exhibition presents one original and one replica jeogori demonstrating the early Joseon gold weaving technique. The PaPyeong Yun mother and child mummy is the world's first mummy found with a fetus inside and is an important cultural asset for studying early Joseon costume culture.

Also on display are the Dangui and Sran Chima (a type of skirt) from Princess Deokhye’s belongings, which returned to the National Palace Museum in 2015, illustrating the gold leaf techniques of the Joseon royal family. Princess Deokhye (1912?1989) was the only princess born to Emperor Gojong and Lady Yang. The green Dangui and red Sran Chima on display are believed to have been worn by Princess Deokhye around her first birthday. Although these are infant garments, they maintain the formal style of royal attire. Notably, the patch (bo) on Princess Deokhye’s Dangui features a dragon in gold leaf instead of the usual phoenix pattern found on women’s chest badges, symbolizing her royal status as a child of the Korean Empire’s emperor.

The costumes excavated from the PaPyeong Yun tomb and Princess Deokhye’s garments will be exhibited until early July, after which they will be replaced by Joseon dynasty gold embroidery (金繡) works.

An Exhibition Showcasing the Inheritance and Development of Traditional Crafts at a Glance

Alongside Joseon dynasty artifacts, over 20 gold leaf and gold embroidery works created by modern and contemporary artisans, including the late Kim Deok-hwan, honorary holder of National Intangible Cultural Property No. 119 for gold leaf craftsmanship, current holder Kim Gi-ho, and the late Han Sang-su, the first holder of National Intangible Cultural Property No. 80 for embroidery, are on display, highlighting the beauty of traditional Korean costume.

Kim Deok-hwan (1935?2019) inherited the family gold leaf craft business from the Cheoljong era of the Joseon dynasty and was designated a gold leaf artisan holder in 2006. He was named honorary holder in 2018 and passed away in 2019. Kim Gi-ho succeeded his father Kim Deok-hwan as holder and operates the traditional gold leaf craft workshop "Geumbakyeon" with his wife, Park Soo-young. Han Sang-su (1932?2016) began his embroidery career in 1953 and elevated embroidery as a comprehensive art form through continuous work and mentoring, becoming the first designated holder of National Intangible Cultural Property No. 80 in 1984.

This exhibition uniquely places works by the father-son artisans Kim Deok-hwan and Kim Gi-ho alongside those by mother-daughter artisans Han Sang-su and Kim Young-ran, a researcher of ancient textiles and embroidery artisan who currently directs the Han Sang-su Embroidery Museum, allowing visitors to appreciate the inheritance and development of traditional crafts.

A Diverse Display of Gold Weaving Works Showcasing Research Achievements on Ancient East Asian Gold Weaving Techniques

On one side of the exhibition hall, visitors can admire a wall filled with various gold weaving works. Korea has produced richly colored and elaborately patterned gold woven textiles using traditional pattern looms (紋織機) from the Three Kingdoms period through Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. However, the use of traditional pattern looms declined in the late Joseon period and was replaced by mechanical Jacquard looms in modern times, making it difficult to confirm their exact appearance today.

This exhibition presents depictions of traditional pattern looms from historical Korean and Chinese literature, alongside seven gold weaving works recreated by Dr. Noh Jin-sun, a researcher specializing in ancient gold weaving techniques, and one piece by Kim Young-ran, an ancient textile researcher.

Special Exhibition-Linked Online and Offline Educational Programs

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, this year’s educational programs are planned to include non-face-to-face online classes. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about and experience the dazzling and splendid "gold 金" in traditional Korean clothing, immersing themselves in the charm of gold.

Starting in July, the programs will begin with lectures and hands-on experiences led by Kim Gi-ho, holder of National Intangible Cultural Property No. 119 for gold leaf craftsmanship, followed by sessions with Kim Young-ran, director of the Han Sang-su Embroidery Museum, and Dr. Noh Jin-sun, an ancient textile researcher, covering gold leaf, gold embroidery, and gold woven textiles imbued with splendor and wishes for prosperity.

The Seongbuk Seonjam Museum is dedicated to researching, preserving, and exhibiting artifacts related to sericulture and silk, focusing on the Seonjam Festival, an important state ritual during the Joseon dynasty. Each spring, the Joseon royal family held ceremonies at the Seonjam altar, honoring Seo Neung, the founder of sericulture, with the queen demonstrating exemplary silkworm rearing in a ritual called Chinjamrye, encouraging the people to engage in sericulture and praying for a bountiful harvest. Since its opening in 2018, the museum has hosted special exhibitions conveying the aesthetics of silk and embroidery threads.

For more details and inquiries, please contact the Seongbuk Seonjam Museum via its main phone number, website, or social media channels including Instagram, Facebook, and blog.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.