메인메뉴 바로가기본문으로 바로가기
네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Silla Royal Headpieces Meet the World

No pyramids, or Parthenon, or the mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, Korea’s cultural resources are not widely known around the world. The Louvre and the British Museum are always packed with visitors who gladly took the time and trouble to get there from all around the globe to view the masterpieces on display. By contrast, Korea’s ardent efforts to attract foreign visitors seldom seem to pay off as fully as hoped. In my opinion, however, Korea does have at least two kinds of cultural properties with global value: bronze images of a meditating bodhisattva and gold crowns from the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.–A.D.935).

Detailed Introduction
With parallel cases hardly found around the world, the Silla gold crowns feature delicate production techniques and refined beauty. Although their value is well acknowledged within Korea, unfortunately, channels to promote them outside the country have been quite limited. The gold metalwork of Silla was introduced to the world through the touring exhibition “5,000 Years of Korean Art,” staged by the National Museum of Korea in several countries in the 1970s, which elicited international acclaim, mostly by foreign academics specializing in Korean history. Still, these efforts have not been enough to promote the Silla artifacts among global audiences.
The Korea Foundation has recently published a book on the Silla gold crowns, entitled “Gold Crowns of Silla: Treasures from a Brilliant Age.” The book introduces in earnest this ancient heritage from a comprehensive perspective for the first time. As far as I know, there has been no publication that offers such a detailed account of the artifacts to this extent. Although it targets general readers, the book does not simply aim to arouse popular interest among them, but deals with various aspects of the Silla crowns from an academic viewpoint.



Abundance of Photographs
The value and credibility of the book can be attributed to its author. Prof. Lee Han-sang of Daejeon University has devoted himself to an extensive study ancient Korean accessories, including the Silla gold crowns, with the results presented in his own work “Silla: The Country of Gold” (Gimmyoung Publishers, 2004). Also noteworthy is the flowing and elegant translation by Prof. Lee Jung-hee of Portland State University.
However, the most impressive aspect of this new book is that the text is accompanied by a wealth of colorful photos and plates. In a nutshell, it is not “text-oriented” but “visually-oriented.” The photographs by Oh Se-yoon who specializes in images of cultural properties and enjoys a high standing in this field, present exquisite close-up shots of minute details.
The book also offers a glimpse into the metal craftsmanship of Silla by introducing gilt-bronze and silver crowns as well. In an effort to broaden understanding of the kingdom’s gold culture, a general overview is given on other gold items, such as earrings and girdles.
Academic value has been further added with the inclusion of contributions in the form of essays: “The Gold Culture and the Gold Crowns of Silla” by Prof. Lee Han-sang; “The Development of the Maripgan Period and the Gold Crowns of Silla” by Prof. Ju Bo-don of Kyungpook National University; and “Origin, Characteristics and Significance of Silla Gold Crowns” by Archaeologist Sarah Milledge Nelson, professor emeritus at the University of Denver.


SEARCH

통합검색

통합검색버튼
통합검색닫기

전체메뉴

전체메뉴 닫기