Gold and jade crown
Three Kingdoms Period, Silla Kingdom, Korea. Fifth to sixth century C.E. Metalwork
The general structure and imagery of this set echo the regalia used by rulers of the many nomadic confederations that roamed the Eurasian steppes for millennia, and, to a lesser extent, pieces found in China. However, Silla tombs such as Hwangnam Daechong have yielded larger quantities and more spectacular gold adornments.
Form:
- Made from gold and jade
- This one is of the headband style that can be found in the south of Korea
Function:
- placed in burial mounds when royal family members died
-chinese
-On special occasions it was worn by high ranking people to show their power and influence
- expensive materials and imagery
Context:
- Korea was split into three kingdoms and this crown was found in the Silla Kingdom that takes up most of the southeast
- this piece shows the connesction that Korea had with the eurasian steppe (thousands of miles of grassland that stretches from central Europe through Asia)
- these people used the same burial techniques as the Chinese thats why many pieces of gold and other precious items found with dead kings
- other expensive objects that were found in the tomb were ones that have traveled along the silk road
- connection to the outside world and influence of other cultures
Content:
- have three branches coming from the headband which represents the sacred tree that once stood in the ritual precinct of Gyeongju.
- connected heaven and earth
- the two antlers coming off of the piece represent the reindeer that were native to the Eurasian steppe
- coming off of the tree branches are gold disk and jade pieces called gogok
- these are supposed to be ripe fruits that represents the lands fertility and abundance
