This is so not me. Basically, I am not into museum, unless it does offer me something that I never heard of or anything. When we were inside the Gyeonggijeon, we were ushered into a royal portrait museum. hmmm what? well, this is it. Finally, I learned that this is the very place where portraits of the then-rulers of Joseon were stored.
This is the only remaining portrait of King Taejo which was originally copied from the original one in 1872. Why is it important, once again? well, since one of the famous figures in the portrait is of course, King Tae-jo, Lee Sung-gye--the Founder of Joseon.
It's a good thing that we had a guide with us. She told us stories behind the portraits and the picture above (King Tae-jo). Why is it that the king's robe is blue? what is the name of the black hat that he was wearing? and were the shoes black as pictured in the portrait back then?
But..what I remember vividly was this:
The golden dragon drawn on the king's robe has 5 claws, instead of 7 like the Chinese Emperors used to have. It simply means that at that time Korea (Joseon) was somewhat 'ruled' or 'under' the influence or 'authority' of China. Hmm, is that so? quite interesting.
Then, one of the main attractions at the museum is this Moon and Sun and Mountains portrait which is the indispensable and quintessential portrait that symbolizes Joseon's dynasty. The so-called Royal backdrop is famous among visitors to 're-enact' or 'act-out' being a king:)
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| with Daniel, my classmate from China. |
This museum looks small, but don't be fooled by the sheer size since it is mostly underground floors that counts!
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