Baekje's Metal Crafts-2

We previously looked at the gold diadem ornaments belonging to King Muryeong and his Queen. Now let’s examine the other gold ornaments.

Can you see the ornament that looks like a bird in fligt, with wings outstretched and a tail comprised of three prongs? This is a gold chignon ornament which was discovered near the King’s head. It is a type of hairpiece used to tie the hair back when wearing a topknot. Lotuses are engraved on the wings.
Now let’s look at the King’s earrings, made of pure gold. Smaller, gold beads were attached to the two dangling ornaments and curved jade were incorporated to increase the grandeur of the jewelry. Isn’t it interesting to learn that the King used to wear earrings? Four piars of the Queen’s earrings were also discovered. The detailed rings and pendants are amazing. You can see the Queen’s earrings if you move to the exhibition room behind you where the Queen’s items are displayed.

Now let’s look at the belt. Two of King Muryeong’s belts were discovered. One was made of leather, but it has been completely disintegrated, leaving only two belt ring and decorations remaining. The other belt was made of metal and therefore withstood the passage of time. It is detailed and decorated beautifully.

These types of gold ornaments were made by linking individual gold beads together one by one. In the case of the gold earrings, tiny gold beads measuring 0.5mm in diameter were used. Crafting such small components was a very elaborate work, but the process of linking these beads together required a lot of time, perseverance, and commitment. This method of jewelry-making is still appreciated today as high quality because of its complex and time-consuming nature. These examples of regal jewelry illustrate how splendid and detailed metal craft was in Baekje.