18세기 이후 자수(刺繡)와 제작가(製作家)에 관한 제(諸)면모

Abstract

In the 18th-century, married women in the Joseon capital Hanyang generally did not know how to weave, while married aristocratic women did not know how to cook. The vibrant and splendid images found in the work “Painting of the City of Supreme Peace” (Taepyeongseongsido, 太平城市 圖) show how the customs and culture of the ruling class were entering the popular realm at this time, while other new customs and culture also emerged. This period saw association among nonpolitical classes with newly-acquired powers of literary creation, including non-political yangban aristocrats, non-yangban commoner literati (yeohang munin, 閭巷文人), the emerging clerical middle class and the offspring of the concubines of yangban. The preferences and pastimes resulting from such unconventional literary lifestyles led to the commercialization of embroidered pictures. This fundamental change is believed to have begun due to the emergence of professional embroiders in response to the demand from literati, the chief appreciators of such works, resulting in the production of embroidery to suit every kind of use and personal taste. According to the text Commentary on the Survey of the Geography of Korea (Dongguk yeoji bigo, 東國輿地備考), Hanyang was a city of flourishing commerce, both through government-licensed shops and private retailers. The development of commerce in cities such as the capital created new retail systems; the resulting financial power led to the unrestricted spread of both products and culture. Embroidered images clearly produced for class-based purposes were used to decorate many everyday items, in conjunction with Chinese cultural imports in the 18th-century. It became widespread practice to include embroidered pillows among items exchanged at weddings. The trend for embroidered pictures for appreciation in late-Joseon was produced by private artisan(Gogong, 雇工). Pictures thus produced led to the distribution of designs and the establishment of the mat stitch (jarisu) and long-and-short stitch (jaryeonsu) styles. This resulted in the appearance of famous regional styles in areas from Anju, in the north of the country, past Hangyang and down to Suncheon and Naju in the south. Works produced in these styles made their way around the country due to the distribution networks that had developed in the 18th century. Embroidered Buddhist works for earning virtue were privately commissioned by the royal family and wealthy court ladies, while embroidered hanging Buddhist images were produced through the gathering of multiple donations from temple fraternities. The appearance of such diverse producers was driven by inherent changes in traditional consumer habits due to changing customs in the 18th century. Along with the growth of material culture, the expanding cultures of collecting, appreciating and criticizing embroidered pictures played an important role in the development of a modern society in the course of the 19th-century.