Goryeo Dynasty Lacquerware Inlaid with Mother-of-pearl Unveiled after 800 Years Returns to Korea

– Fewer than twenty examples of Goryeo-era lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl have survived across the world, including three in the National Museum of Korea collection –

– 13C Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design previously unknown to academia revealed(On September 6, 2023) –

– Flower and leaf designs exquisitely detailed in 45,000 fragments of mother-of-pearl –

On September 6, 2023 at 10:30 a.m., the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA; Administrator: Choi Eung-Chon) will unveil to the press at the National Palace Museum of Korea (located in Jongno-gu, Seoul) the Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design produced during the Goryeo Dynasty. The box was recently returned from Japan through the efforts of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF; Chair: Kim Jung-hee).

Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design – Goryeo Dynasty / wood, mother-of-pearl, metal
Dimensions: L. 33.0, W. 18.5cm, H. 19.4cm

The returned item had been held in storage in Japan by a private collector for more than 100 years. Its existence was mainly unknown until recently, even in Japan. The OKCHF was alerted to the item last July through its local Japanese network. Following several rounds of thorough surveys and negotiations, the CHA and the OKCHF finally succeeded in repatriating the item this past July after more than a year of strenuous effort.

The piece is highly significant since there are less than twenty surviving examples of Goryeo-era lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and most of them are currently housed abroad. Moreover, it is a superb example of the type in terms of its exquisite decorative designs and excellent preservation condition. Beyond its successful repatriation, the item is particularly notable as a discovery that had been completely unknown to the academic community.

Lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl refers to craft objects that are coated with lacquer and ornamented with patterns made from mother-of-pearl.* It employs a range of materials including wood, lacquer, mother-of-pearl, and metal. It is considered an integration of various craft techniques created through a complex sophisticated production process that involves cutting mother-of-pearl into tiny pieces and gluing them individually to the backing to create patterns such as flowers and leaves.

*Mother-of-pearl: Shells of mollusks such as abalone, conch, and clams, typically cut and processed into thin plates

In particular, the lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl of the Goryeo era has been regarded as one of the dynasty’s finest aesthetic accomplishments along with celadon and Buddhist paintings. Xu Jing, an envoy to Goryeo Korea from Song China during the twelfth century, noted in his Xuanhe fengshi Gaoli tujing (Illustrated Record of the Chinese Embassy to the Goryeo Court in the Xuanhe Era)* that Goryeo’s “mother-of-pearl inlay crafting is so exquisite that it is truly estimable.” Moreover, there is a record in Goryeosa (History of the Goryeo Dynasty)** stating that lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl was among the list of gifts the government dispatched to foreign courts such as the Song and Liao Dynasties during the eleventh century. These records make it clear that lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl of the Goryeo Dynasty was favored among the ruling class of neighboring countries at the time.

*Xuanhe fengshi Gaoli tujing: A book published in 1123 (the first year of the reign of King Injong of the Goryeo Dynasty) by Xu Jing, a Song Chinese envoy to Korea during the mid-Goryeo Dynasty. It recorded the culture and customs Xu encountered at the time.
**Goryeosa: A compilation of the history of the Goryeo Dynasty

The returned Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design is presumed to have been produced in the thirteenth century. It demonstrates the quintessence of Goryeo-era lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

The item is decorated with designs including chrysanthemum scrolls, peony scrolls, and yeonjumun,* all conventional patterns for lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl from the Goryeo Dynasty. Overall, the box features approximately 770 chrysanthemums. Thirty peonies adorn the border of the upper side of the lid, and 1,670 yeonjumun are densely arranged along the edges of the box. There are approximately 45,000 individual fragments of mother-of-pearl inlaid on the item.

* Yeonjumun: a design created by a band of consecutive dots or small circles connected like a string of beads

The box also displays C-shaped metal thread inlaid around the chrysanthemum blossoms to express scrolling vines. Moreover, metal thread comprised of two twisted cords was used to highlight the outer contours of the box. Although the central disc of each chrysanthemum blossom is only approximately 1.7 millimeters in diameter and each petal is approximately 2.5 millimeters long, each of the petals has been exquisitely detailed with incised lines.*

* Incision: carving letters or an image into a flat surface

Featuring a dense and regular arrangement of chrysanthemum and peony designs executed in mother-of-pearl across the entire surface, a detailed expression of scrolling vines through metal thread, and incised lines that create details on the tiny pieces of mother-of-pearl, the piece demonstrates the greatest artistry among existing Goryeo-era lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

Notably, the Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design has retained the original iridescence and luster of the mother-of-pearl, and the conservation status of the decorative materials (such as the mother-of-pearl and metal thread) is evaluated as the best among surviving examples.

Also noteworthy is its repatriation process. The item was brought to Korea prior to its formal acquisition in order to accurately examine its production techniques and materials. To this end, the National Palace Museum of conducted a detailed analysis using scientific techniques such as X-ray photography in May. As a result, it was confirmed that the traditional Korean lacquerware technique of pasting fabric over a wooden frame before applying lacquer was used for the item.

The returned Lacquered Box with Inlaid Mother-of-pearl Chrysanthemum and Scroll Design will be housed at the National Palace Museum of Korea. It is expected to be widely utilized in the restoration of Korean traditional lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl techniques as well as in exhibitions that contribute to expanding opportunities for the public to appreciate cultural heritage. The CHA and OKCHF plan to continue their robust efforts to locate and retrieve Korean cultural heritage housed overseas through proactive administration and the strengthening of local cooperative networks. The retrieval was undertaken using lottery funds.