Lantern

Hyeondeung is a lantern that was suspended from a crossbeam or the ceiling through a loop, and was also called a suspended lantern. Its form and structure are similar to those of a hanging lantern, but it is larger than the latter, and has a wide, open top and bottom. The lantern was made in various shapes, such as square, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon, and in some cases, it consisted of two tiers of different sized bodies. The body was covered with glass or paper, which was then often adorned with letters, motifs, or pictures. At the bottom, there are crossed wooden bars or a grid on which a candle holder could be placed, and a loop on top for it to be hung with. The lantern shown here features a square-shaped body, on the bottom of which there are latticed wooden bars and a square-shaped candle trivet in the middle. On the top, four bars are attached diagonally to each corner, and there are metal loops on each bar. The glass panels on the four sides are decorated with birds and flowers. The hexagonal body on the second tier is covered with a wider outer frame. On top of the second tier, six bars sculptured into a dragon are inserted into the small wood block in the middle, and there is a bottle-shaped decoration and a metal loop on top. One long wood bar is affixed from one corner to another across the hexagonal base, and four shorter bars are fixed from each corner to the center. The wooden bars are fixed with nails, and one nail protrudes upward at the center to serve as a candle holder. Six legs at each corner of the bottom support the body.