"Tangible Materials Showing the Characteristics and Diversity of Court Costumes"
The royal women's clothing carefully preserved by the family of Prince Uichin, the fifth son of King Gojong, will be managed as a national heritage.
On the 26th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the 'Uichinwang Family Costume (義親王家 服飾)' held by the Gyeonggi Girls' High School Kyungwoon Museum has been designated as a National Folk Cultural Heritage. An official explained, "The origin of the clothing and accessories is clear, and as tangible materials that show the characteristics and diversity of court costumes according to the wearer's status, they hold great academic and artistic value."
The Uichinwang family costume consists of a wonsam (圓衫), dangui (唐衣), sran chima, hwagwan, norigae, and court lady daedae (大帶·belt), which were passed down from Lady Yeonan Kim, the wife of Prince Uichin, to Lady Lee Haegyeong, the daughter of Prince Uichin. The wonsam, an outer garment with a short front hem and a long back hem, features prominent decorations. The sleeves and hems are adorned with patterns combining the characters 'subok (壽福)' meaning longevity and happiness, along with floral motifs. It is evaluated as an artifact showing the style of wonsam worn by royal women at the time.
The dangui, like the wonsam, is a side-opened garment worn as formal attire by court and noblewomen. It is embroidered with dragon patterns symbolizing the wearer's status and authority. The sran chima, worn together with the wonsam and dangui, still retains the gubongmun (九鳳紋) pattern decorated with nine phoenixes in gold leaf. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, "It is noteworthy as a new form previously unknown."
The hwagwan worn on the head when wearing the dangui refers to a frame made of thick paper decorated with silk, gold paper, jade ornaments, and adorned with binyeo hairpins on both sides. It is considered an important resource for studying what kind of hats royal women wore when donning formal court attire.
The norigae features a gourd-shaped ornament and holds great value as a craft artifact. Two court lady daedae are estimated to have been made in 1893 when Prince Uichin and his wife held their wedding ceremony. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, "Since surviving artifacts are rare, they are very important for understanding court lady costumes."
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