| Bronze technology, imported into Korea from the northern
part of the continental mainland around the tenth century BC, was used by the inhabitants
of the peninsula to create a variety of ritual and utilitarian objects. In addition to
such weapons as daggers and spearheads, among the objects most often recovered from Bronze
Age tombs are cast-bronze mirrors ornamented with linear, geometric designs. By the fourth
century, the Korean peninsula was divided among three kingdoms: Koguryo in the north,
Paekche in the southwest, and Silla in the southeast. A fourth political entity, the Kaya
Federation, was composed of city-states situated between Silla and Paekche. In each of
these states, the royalty and the aristocracy created a demand for luxury goods, which
were symbols of power and political authority. The tombs of the royalty and aristocracy of
the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–AD 668) have yielded large quantities of jewelry and
other personal and ceremonial ornaments which reflect the refined tastes and the authority
of the elite in the early peninsular states. The kingdom of Silla in particular was known
to medieval Islamic merchants as the "kingdom of gold," a description verified
by the spectacular gold ornaments, including elaborate crowns and intricately crafted
earrings, found in tombs from the late fourth to the early sixth centuries. Buddhism, the
dominant system of thought in Korea from the late Three Kingdoms period to the end of the
Koryo dynasty (918–1392), had a pervasive influence on the arts. This influence is
apparent in exquisitely crafted devotional objects, including reliquaries and portable
shrines, as well as silver-inlaid bronze incense burners and bronze bells and gongs used
in Buddhist ceremonies. Though the tradition of lacquer manufacture in Korea can be traced
back to the Bronze Age, it was during the Koryo dynasty that lacquer reached a high point
of technical and aesthetic achievement, as evidenced by mother-of-pearl inlaid boxes used
for storing incense or sutras. The rise of the yangban, or military and
scholar-official class, in the early years of the Choson dynasty (1392–1910) also
stimulated the production of fine lacquerware and wood furniture as well as other objects
for everyday use. The motif of intertwined dragons on the gold hilt with pommel, dating
from the fifth to the sixth century, reflects Central Asian and Siberian influences.
Silla, which due to its relatively isolated location on the southeastern coast did not
have diplomatic contacts with China until the latter part of the sixth century, preserved
these influences in its art, whereas Koguryo and Paekche readily embraced new trends from
the mainland. |
