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Specific Techniques

Robe is hand woven and hand-sewn with stitches that are almost all invisible both in the hem and in concealed seams.

Description

A robe (part a) of dark blue silk gauze fully lined with the same material in light blue. Robe opens at the right front side with the left front panel overlapping the right-hand panel secured at the top with a single toggle, below which, there are wide ties, two of each colour, attached to each panel. The neck is round with a white insert that is higher at the back. The robe is formed of slightly flared panels and has an inverted pleat at each side, above which, there is a belt loop on the right side and a tie to hold the belt on the left. The wide sleeves are rounded at the front and the back bottom edges and have interfacings at the openings to reinforce them. At the upper centre front and back of the robe, there are sewn rectangular embroidered cloth badges, each of which has a white crane in the centre with stylized red, pink, purple, green cloud forms above, and rock forms below on a black background. The back of the badge is lined with paper pasted in place.

History Of Use

Robes and belts of this type were worn by bridegrooms of the upper, educated class (yangban) during their marriage ceremonies, and by ordinary people who could afford to buy them. Such a robe was worn during the entire ceremony. The Korean name of the robe, dan ryeong, comes from its round neck. They are similar to officials’ robes worn in court, but the rank badge is smaller than a real rank badge worn by an official. Officials’ robes could be blue, red, or green; wedding robes could only be blue. At the end of the Choson Dynasty, people other than officials were permitted to wear such clothing during their wedding ceremonies. In addition to the robe, belt, and boots, the groom would also wear a black hat, called sa-mo, with oval wing shapes made of horsehair projecting horizontally from the back. Under the robe he would wear a Korean style jacket (“chogori”), Korean style trousers (“paji”), with socks called boson under the boots. The legs of the trousers would be bound with ties called daenim. If the man was wealthy, these clothes would be made of satin, if not, they would be made of cotton. Robes of lightweight silk gauze like this one were worn in summer. The white neck insert “dong-jung” is only roughly sewn in place so that it can easily be removed for washing. The robe has inverted pleats at the sides so that the wearer can walk elegantly, without the robe coming open at the front. Special clothing of this type was made to order by guilds. The order would be divided among the various craft specialties. By the end of the Choson Dynasty, sleeves were narrower than those on this robe.

Iconographic Meaning

All components of wedding clothing were directly reflective of court dress. The crane on the rank badge is a symbol of long life, as is the red herb at the lower centre. The crane also represents intelligence and purity. The single crane is of relatively low status in the civil hierarchy; the military hierarchy was indicated by animal images, such as tigers. The single crane indicates that this is a rank badge for a lower-level official. The double ties were generally attached to the formal outer wear. This type of belt, if worn by an official, would be a symbol of his rank, the material of the plaques indicating his place in the hierarchy. Officials’ plaques could be made of gold or silver, shell or ox horn. The green colour of the belt lining could be symbolic of marriage.