The museum’s special exhibition called “Hyeeumwon, a temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty,” and the Google Art project featuring artifacts of Princess Deok-on, the last princess of the Joseon dynasty, are now in the spotlight. The museum’s decade-long efforts to excavate the temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty and spread the beauty of Hanbok through historical research and reinterpretation of Korean traditional clothing are finally paying off.
■ The museum’s 150 pieces of traditional Korean costumes are participating in the Google Art Project.
About 150 pieces of traditional Korean costumes are exhibited to the world through the Google Art Project. This includes the ceremonial robe, known as Wonsam, of Princess Deok-on, the last princess of the Joseon dynasty.
The wonsam of Princess Deok-on, which was displayed at the museum’s special exhibition in 2012, is one of the major artifacts exhibited through the Google Art Project, Google’s exhibition project that aims to provide access to cultural heritage for everyone.
The image of wonsam can be viewed at 7 billion pixel resolution, which provides subscribers with very close observation, even closer than seeing it in the actual museum.
The Google Art Project is a unique collaboration with some of the world’s most acclaimed art institutions to allow people to discover and view artworks online in extraordinary detail. Currently, more than 700 institutions in 60 different countries are participating in this project.
■ Special exhibition: Hyeeumwon, a temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty
The university museum holds a special exhibition ‘Hyeeumwon, a temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty’ through July 31.
Hyeeumwon is the only temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty discovered in South Korea up to present day. The kings stopped by and stayed overnight at the palace when they left for Seoul from Gaesung, the ancient capital of Goryeo. The palace is located near Paju in Gyeonggi Province. Hyeeumwon is a royal palace where the kings of the Goryeo dynasty stayed during their long journey.
This exhibition shows the dignity of the temporary palace of the Goryeo dynasty, displaying various remains such as Goryeo celadon made in the 12th century, roof tile emblazoned with “Hyeeumwon“ and lacquer-ware plate coated with cotton. The lacquer ware plate takes center stage since it proves the fact that cotton was used long before Ik-Jeom Moon brought in cottonseed from Yuan China in the 14th century.
“This exhibition is very significant in terms of the fact that Hyeeumwon is the only temporary palace discovered in South Korea, describing the scale and arrangement of the palace in the Goryeo dynasty,” the Director Kyungsik Park said.