Gold Investiture Book of Empress Myeongseong, the Consort of Emperor Gojong

This gold investiture book was issued, with the royal gold seal, when King Gojong declared the foundation of the Korean Empire and proclaimed the deceased queen as “Empress Myeongseong”in 1897, the 1st year of Gwangmu. Due to the change of status from the queen to the empress after the declaration, the material of her investiture book was altered from jade to gold. Royal investiture book was usually bestowed, along with the royal seal. Tributes or entreaties to the recipient were inscribed on the book and it was bestowed when entitling the queen, crown prince, consort of the crown prince or conferring posthumous or honorary titles. Materials used for the production of the book varied, ranging from jade or bamboo to gold, depending on the benefactor’s status.