Precious Punctuation?
Crown, Korea, Silla Kingdom, second half of 5th century. Excavated from the north mound of Hwangnam Daechong Tomb. Gold and jade; H.10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm). Gyeongju National Museum, Kroea, National Treasure 191
«Dragons? Cashews? Crescent moons? What are those comma-shaped ornaments seen in the exhibition Silla: Korea's Golden Kingdom?»
The shapes are thought to represent embryonic forms and, therefore, to symbolize life. They may also allude to the moon. Unfortunately there is no written record that we can look to for definitive answers. Some Korean scholars have suggested that these figures are abstract dragons. Comma-shaped objects carved from stones and animal teeth existed on the Korean peninsula long before the Silla kingdom, so there was precedent for this particular form. In ancient nomadic-pastoralist cultures in Northern and Central Asia, too, animal claws and teeth or tusks were used as ornaments and possibly as shamanic ritual items. But in the fourth through sixth centuries, the peoples of the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago appear to have been the only ones who made and used curved jade ornaments: known as gobeunok or gogok in Korean and magatama in Japanese.
In the Silla kingdom, comma-shaped ornaments can be found on gold crowns, belts, necklaces, and earrings. They are usually made of jade but also range in material from crystal and various stones to gold. We invite you to come count the "commas" on view in the exhibition and let us know what you think they represent.
Left: Necklace, Korea, Silla Kingdom, early 5th century. Excavated from the south mound of Hwangnam Daechong Tomb. Glass; L.26 1/8 in. (66.5cm) Gyeongju National Museum, Korea. Right: Necklace, Korea, Silla kingdom, Early period, 6th century. Excavated from Noseo-dong no. 215 Tomb. Gold and jade; L. 11 3/4 in. (30 cm). National Museum of Korea, Treasure 456
Belt with pendant ornaments, Korea, Silla Kingdom, second half of 5th century. Excavated from the north mound of Hwangnam Daechong Tomb. Gold; L.47 1/4 in. (120 cm) Gyeonju National Museum, Korea, National Treasure 192
Soyoung Lee
Curator Soyoung Lee joined the Department of Asian Art in 2003 and is responsible for The Met's Korean art collection, programs, and galleries. She has organized major international loan exhibitions with accompanying catalogues, including Silla: Korea's Golden Kingdom(2013) with Denise Patry Leidy and Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400–1600 (2009), as well as shows focusing on the permanent collection such as Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met (2015). She holds a PhD from Columbia University, with a dissertation on the relationship between Korean and Japanese ceramics from the 15th through the 19th century.
Denise Leidy
Denise Patry Leidy is a curator in the Department of Asian Art.