Five-clawed Dragon Insignia of Queen Consort’s Garments

The bo (補) is a round cloth badge attached to the chest, back and both shoulders of the gollyongpo (dragon robe) worn by the king and crown prince, or of the jeogui, wonsam and dangui worn by the queen and crown princess consort, in the Joseon dynasty, and was mainly embroidered with a dragon design. According to its pattern it is also called yongbo ("dragon badge"), and according to its shape, wonbo ("round badge"). Since the dragon, an imaginary creature, has long been regarded as a symbol of the emperor or the king, the direct royal family of the Joseon dynasty wore dragon badges, with rank distinguished by the number of the dragon's claws: the king and queen used a five-clawed dragon (ojoryong) badge, the crown prince and crown princess a four-clawed dragon (sajoryong) badge, and the crown prince's eldest son and his consort a three-clawed dragon (samjoryong) badge. In the late Joseon period, however, this system was not strictly observed, so that most surviving examples are five-clawed dragon badges. This five-clawed dragon badge was made for a queen. On a green flower-patterned satin (hwamundan) ground, a coiled dragon (banryong) with five claws is placed at the centre, holding at its centre an embroidered magic jewel (yeouiju) to heighten the dragon's dignity. Around the dragon are embroidered auspicious longevity motifs (jangsaengmun) such as clouds, rocks, waves and the fungus of immortality (bullocho). Since the ground fabric is green flower-patterned satin, it is thought to have been attached to a green dangui or wonsam. Among surviving dragon badges, it is in excellent condition, and its embroidery is extremely fine.

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Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산