Contemporary Rank Badge
Young Yang Chung Korean
Not on view
Finding inspiration in hyungbae, or rank badges, artist and textile historian Young Yang Chung created this embroidered square in homage to her mentor, Jean Mailey. Chung conveys her respect for Mailey, former curator of textiles in the Asian Art Department, by aligning her with the status marker of a literatus, a scholar-official, and featuring a peacock, the insignia of a first-rank civil official in the early Joseon period.
Rather than re-create a hyungbae, the artist has framed the bird, added floral roundels in each corner, and included a peony and peaches, symbols of blessing and immortality, respectively. The peacock has an unusual pink patch on its head, described by Chung as a deliberate feminizing feature. As Joseon civil officials were exclusively men, the use of hyungbae and peacock to celebrate a preeminent woman scholar expands the scope of these devices beyond the patriarchal order.
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