고려시대 가구재료 연구

Abstract

This paper studied the materials of the furniture which the noble men used inGoryeo, based on the furniture material category of solid wood furniture, lacquerware inlaidwith mother-of-pearl and hardware. As for the solid wood furniture, the wood and furnituretypes are inferred based on the documents. The trees used for the wood furniture were zelkova,korean willow, pine, royal paulownia, maidenhair tree, korean pine, chinese juniper and elm. The furniture types were table, chair, wooden bench, small portable table, writing table, andfolding screen. As to the types of lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, most of them werehams with top, which were made of abalone shells. The features of the lacquerware inlaid withmother-of-pearl were in detail and elaborate like the pattern of the full bloomed chrysanthemum. Writing tables were also made of lacquerware as pieces of furniture. Distinctively, themother-of-pearl furniture material was popular enough to be used even in a horse saddle. Regarding the metal feldspar used as both a practical use and decoration, there are drop handle,hinge, the front basis, and lock seen in the artifacts, which were made of cast iron, bronze, andbrass. Their manufacture techniques were eojamoon, bratticing and sheet metal. Through thisstudy of the furniture materials used in Goryeo, it seems that Goryeo furniture focused on thefunctions rather than on the decorations, and in turn the forms were simple and basic. Thetechnique of mother-of-pearl, a bit elaborate one, was used in the props furniture like kitchenwares, hams, or writing talbes. Probably, the solid wood is inferred to be used in a low woodenbench, a chair, and a table based on the documents.