The Headrest and Footrest Used to Support the Corpse

The wooden U-shaped and W-shaped objects here were the headrests and footrests used by King Muryeong and his Queen. The black one belonged to the King and the red one belonged to the Queen. Both the headrests and footrests were carefully prepared to support the bodies of the King and Queen.

Look at the King's headrest first. It is covered with thin, gold decorations in a hexagonal tortoiseshell pattern and adorned with small, gold flower designs. The W-shaped footrest of the King is similarly decorated.

Gilt decorations cover the edges of the Queen’s headrest and it has the same gilt, hexagonal tortoiseshell patterns. Each tortoiseshell pattern has a different design in it, for example, a flying fairy or a fish-like dragon. The paintings are indistinct and difficult to identify, so come closer and look carefully. On the upper part, there are two wooden, oriental phoenixes facing each other.

The Queen’s footrest is also covered with gilt decorations and embellished with lotus and cloud motifs. There are iron rods on the top part of the footrest, designed to resemble bamboo.