Western Wardrobe

There are many evidences of Silla's interactions with the Western world. Mediterranean glassware and Central Asian daggers have been excavated from numerous tombs at Gyeongju. Stones engraved with beaded medallion motifs, which were popular in Sassanid Persia, have been unearthed in Wolji Pond. Persian textiles, carpets, and glassware have also been used in contemporary China and Japan. So, in the drawing, Yuri and Inpyeong are holding a Persian caftan and cloth.

The outfit of Bak Yuri is mostly based on the mural from the Tomb of Eosuk in Sunheung, Yeongju (영주 순흥 어숙묘). This is the only Silla tomb with a mural inside. Despite the severe damage, some details of the woman’s attire are visible. The figure is dressed in a long skirt and a top with ruffled hem. The ribbon that fastens the front is at the collar. A thin, long shawl is worn over it. Overall, the attire resembles that of the women in the Takamatsuzuka Tomb mural in Japan. She is wearing a headdress, but that part of the mural is so badly deteriorated that it’s almost unrecognizable. Therefore, I drew beads and a lotus flower based on archaeological findings and contemporary literature sources. Gim Inpyeong's hat is based on the one from the Hwangnam Daechong (황남대총) Royal Tomb.

Sources

• Gold and glass bracelet, Hwangodong Tomb No. 5, Silla, 4~5th century

• Golden headdress ornament, Hwangnam Daechong, Silla, 5th century

• Gold and glass ear ornament, National Museum of Gyeongju, 5~6th century

• Silla Glass bead necklace, National Museum of Korea, 5~6th century

• Tomb of Eosuk in Sunheung, Silla, 5~6th century

• Fabric fragment, Geumgwanchong, Silla, 6th century

• Golden ear ornament, Geumnyeongchong Tomb, Silla, 6th century

• Silk textile in a Sasanian style design, Shosoin, Nara, Japan, 6~7th century

• Mural from Takamatsuzuka Tomb, Asuka, Japan, 7~8th century

• Sasanian or Sogdian Silk with design of senmurvs, 7~8th century

• Heleanor Feltham, Lions, Silks and Silver: The Influence of Sasanian Persia, Sino-Platonic Papers, 2010

• 글림자, 조선 이전 우리옷: 한복 이야기, 혜지원, 2018

• National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, The Tomb Murals In South Korea, 2019