Wood · Craft

Ewha Womans University Museum presents a special woodcraft collection exhibition titled Wood·Craft in celebration of the 130th anniversary of the university’s foundation. This exhibition was designed to look back on the usefulness and beauty of furniture and crafts made of wood. As wood is nature’s longest and most basic resource, it has been around in the life of mankind for a long period of time. Wood has served as the most basic material to build shelters to live in and tools to use. Therefore, it is wood craftsmanship that reveals the basic skills and wisdom of those living in a certain region. A total of about 100 objects displayed for this exhibition are Korean furniture and crafts that were produced and used from the Joseon dynasty to modern times. Next to ceramics, wood crafts are the largest holdings in the University Museum’s collections. The University Museum has collected a wide variety of relics and donations since its foundation, some of which would be singled out for special events (in the case of the university inviting prominent figures from overseas) or displayed in the president’s office to highlight the beauty of Korea and the rich cultural tradition of the university.This exhibition presents a vast array of wood crafts that were made in consideration of space and the user,such as a bookshelf and desk in the study of a scholar, a document chest and wardrobe, along with a comb box and a dressing stand, placed in the women’s quarters, and a small portable dining table used in the kitchen—all of which are displayed in different sections according to use and design, demonstrating the material properties of wood, its aesthetic values, and history.

Shelves for storing books or stationery, seoan (desk) and gyeongsang (reading table) were commonly used in the men’s quarters or sarangbang. These three or four-tiered shelves were classified as such since they have an open design on every side and a shelf for a document chest or a cabinet for storing objects. Bookshelves for storing a collection of books were also made. Desks varied in size and length. Short desks were used for reading books and long desks, some of which had shelves or drawers below to increase their utility, were used in writing on scrolls of paper. The upper class and the royal family often used a black or red-lacquered desk, but most shelves and desks were made with finely textured wood grain chosen for its natural beauty, and were not heavily decorated by, for example, rubbing the wood with ash to remove gloss. Shelves and desks with elegance and the beauty of restraint were a symbol of the spirit of Joseon’s scholars.

Soban is a tray-like table for carrying food from the kitchen to a room located across the courtyard for dining. Soban became popular during the Joseon dynasty when adults and children ate their meals separately, and in accordance to social rank individuals were served with separate dining tables. For this reason, households at that time usually had several soban. Therefore, soban were produced in various styles and shapes in consideration of class and function, and were classified according to regional characteristics: Haeju, Gangwon, Naju, and Tongyeong, among others. Soban for daily use usually has a shoulder-width diameter and a height no higher than chest level, which would be suitable to be carried in accordance with a traditional living style. However, the actual sizes and heights varied depending on function. The wood for soban had to be light and not prone to warping. Therefore, gingko, lime, and zelkova wood are the main materials used for soban.