Green Ceremonial Robe for the Queen Consort

The wonsam was ceremonial dress worn by court women and the wives of the sadaebu (scholar-official class) in late Joseon, and it was also worn as bridal dress by commoners. According to the Garye dogam uigwe, the Royal Protocols recording successive royal weddings, there was no wonsam specifically for the queen; instead there were green wonsam for the crown princess and for the crown prince's son's consort, and in practice the wives of princes, the king's own daughters, and women of high rank among the oemyeongbu (titled women outside the royal family) also wore the green wonsam as ceremonial dress. However, after the Korean Empire was proclaimed in 1897, the queen was elevated in title to empress and wore the yellow wonsam, the crown princess wore the red wonsam, and those below that rank wore the green wonsam. The general form of the wonsam has a back panel longer than the front, wide durisomae sleeves, and saekdong (multicoloured stripes) with baekhansam (white cuff extensions) attached at the sleeve ends. The empress, crown princess, queen and crown prince's consort had round dragon badges attached to both shoulders and to the chest and back of the robe, while women of the royal family and wives of the sadaebu had square badges with a phoenix or crane design instead. Surviving wonsam of the royal family from the end of Joseon are lavishly decorated at the shoulders, upper sleeves, the centre of the front and back panels, and the seuran (hem band) using gold leaf or gold-thread weaving, the pattern differing by rank between dragon, phoenix and floral motifs, though exceptions occur. This wonsam has a green ground with a floral pattern, stamped at regular intervals in gold leaf with the characters 壽 (longevity) and 福 (good fortune), and the badges on the chest and back are finely embroidered with a phoenix and clouds in gold and coloured thread. This artefact is valuable material illustrating the intermediate stage in the sewing techniques of the wonsam, between the early method of making the outer fabric and lining separately and the late-Joseon method of stitching the two together and turning the garment inside out.

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Where it is

Region

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Designation

National Folklore Heritage · 국가민속문화유산