The Costume, the Pattern of Joseon Dynasty: Confucian Scholars’ Ceremonial Robe, White Sim-ui

Introduction

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, we came up with the special exhibition “The Costume, the Pattern of Joseon Dynasty”. The exhibition, named after the costume and design of the Joseon Dynasty.

“The Costume”consists of five parts: part one is ‘Officials' Ceremonial Attire, Red Jobok’, part two is ‘Officials' Uniform, Black Dallyeong’, part three is ‘Confucian Scholars’ Ceremonial Robe, White Sim-ui’, part four is ‘Women’s Ceremonial Robe, Green Wonsam’, and the last part shows ‘Men and Women’s Vest, Baeja’. And also, discolored costumes from the original attire were splendidly recreated by Korean costume professionals. In “The Pattern”, one of the relics in the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, displays the various and distinctive patterns of Joseon Dynasty, through which our ancestors pursued beauty and their desires to express due courtesy with full dress code including a variety of designs.

We sincerely hope that you can feel and appreciate the beauty of Korean clothing in a new light.

Portrait of Song Si-yeol

It can be recognized as the portrait of Song Si-yeol because it is written on the top left, 'Portrait of Songja.' He is wearing a black Bok-geon on his head. The collar was worn in an overlapping manner such that the left collar was above the right collar, and the Daedae, a belt, was tied and hung under the sleeves. The belt was particularly expressed as being whiter, showing the difference in material. The portraits of Song Si-yeol is the most commonly remaining of single-person portraits, because Song Si-yeol was worshipped in Confucian shrines after the 18th century, and because the demand for his portraits increased in Seowon (lecture halls) and Yeongdang (shrines) as he was recognized as an oriental sage succeeding Zhu Xi.

Portrait of Heo Jeon

Heo Jeon wrote 『Sa-ui』 to continue the Bangryeong Sim-ui system proposed by the Namin, and this portrait adequately depicts the Sim-ui system proposed in 『Sa-ui』. The Sim-ui was a Bangryeong collar made from thin white cotton, and the collar, gusset, trim, and cuff were decorated with black silk. The belt was a white silk with black silk wrapped around the edges, which was tied on the waist and hung down. A Chipogwan made from thin black cotton was worn on the head, and blue strings were attached to the left and right and tied under the chin. The shoes were Heukri, which are black shoes without a neck.