Painting of Heavenly Horse on a Saddle Flap from Cheonmachong Tomb, Gyeongju

In the story of the founding of Silla, the Cheonma (“heavenly horse”) appears as a white horse that foretells the birth of the progenitor of Silla. It was a sacred animal that connected heaven and earth.
A saddle flap serves the same function as mudguard does to a car wheel. The flaps are hung from either side of a saddle, meaning there are two flaps per set. The saddle flap with the Cheonmado painting was discovered in a set of two pieces laid one over the another*.
The saddle flap with the Cheonma painted in white is a rectangular plate made of birch bark. The horse's mane and tail are blowing back, and its legs seem to be running across the sky. Around its mouth and legs is painted a representation of powerful energy, revealing the mystical force of the heavenly horse. The saddle flap is decorated with scrolls around its edge. It is notable that images are found in the murals of the Goguryeo Kingdom that parallel these scroll designs and the Cheonma.

*The piece that was on top at the time of the excavation is known as the saddle flap with Cheonmado painting I and the piece that was on the bottom is known as the saddle flap with Cheonmado painting II.