We all
dream throughout our lives. Everyone harbors their own wishes and anticipations,
expecting them to come true. Long ago, before the Western ways of life settled
in Korea, people engraved such wishes onto their dwellings and appliances, ardently
hoping for their realization. As objects that cozily tuck one into sleep at the
end of the day, pillow pads were also endowed with various wishes.
Traditional
Korean pillows bear a wide variety of monikers depending on their use, form,
and material, ranging from wooden to bamboo pillows, embroidered or even
drawer-type pillows. Pillows consist of its body where the head rests, filling,
pads that cap the sides, and white cloth covers. One of the most unique features
of the traditional pillows is that pads cap the sides to shape the pillow.
Round or square-shaped, the pads were decorated in splendor with embroidery, mother-of-pearl,
or horn-based lacquer. Embroidered pads, in particular, bore colorful patterns
including phoenixes and mandarin ducks as the symbol of harmonious and loving
marriage, peonies to wish for wealth and prosperity, and Chinese characters
that signify longevity, fortune, and happiness. The beautiful patterns were
unfolded on the palm-sized cloths in colorful threads, like brush strokes
sliding over a white paper. One can find how the patterns became unique
creations, born again each time through the embroiderers’ signature
compositions or techniques, and how their shapes also have evolved over
generation.
This is
the twenty-fifth edition of the Coreana Cosmetics Museum’s thematic exhibition
series, which is intended to introduce the legacy of traditional pillows and
the meanings of various pillow pad patterns. The exhibition will serve as an
opportunity for the visitors to appreciate the exquisite craftwork of the
Supported by Coreana Cosmetics, Co., Ltd.