Brief Encounters (The National Museum of Korea)

Member Name: michaelhudson

Product:	The National Museum of Korea
Date:	05/06/03 (414 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to the city centre, Cheap

Disadvantages: Crowded

At the top of the escalator up from the artfully lit platform at Gyeongbok station a low ceiling stretches out from the ticket barrier past the two restless presidential guards in slip on shoes up to pine trees full of shade and cicadas. Works of art, partially illuminated by small spotlights, run along the wall, and lines form to pass through a stone gateway in the middle of the polished floor which promises immortality to all who pass through it - quite a bargain for the 30p it cost me to get here from city centre Seoul. Heading up the stairs at exit five I reach a wide, dusty square where the city presents itself in its usual contradictory microcosm - granite mountains behind a restored wooden palace, the top of a pagoda, an ancient city gate in front of a twelve lane traffic junction, office blocks stamped with Hyundai, Samsung and Ericsson, a rooftop TV screen showing TV commercials, and finally the museum building itself, all sloping roofs, lattice doors, pale grey steps and dark green pine needles. The urgent clicks of the unseen cicadas drown what traffic noise manages to climb over the ivy clad walls before giving way to the gaggles of schoolchildren, hands clasped over their mouths to mask shy laughter, who shout "Hello" and "What's your name?" at all passing foreigners. At the top of the stairs glass doors slide open and an air-conditioned breeze guides me past the ticket booth to a central desk dispensing floorplans and leaflets beside a table displaying the 'Cultural Asset of the Month'. Then it's left, stepping through school trips and family outings into Prehistory.

The first of the eighteen galleries opens with Middle Palaeolithic skulls and fossil samples, merging behind the glass with Neolithic scrapers, knives, jewellery, fish hooks, cone shaped pottery and 3,000 year old axes. Seemlessly moving into the Bronze Age, polished stone daggers resemble child's toys and bronze mirrors and daggers detail t
he evolution of the early Koreans as they came into contact with the Liaoning culture of neighbouring China. Across the floor space large bowls and jars sit haphazardly in their cases, and red pottery and rice scoops surround a scale model of a settlement in the middle of the peninsula. On the doorstep of the Proto Three Kingdoms we pass through a corner of the Iron Age composed of string instruments, tools and chariot fittings excavated from modern day Pyongyang, North Korea.

Step left at the doorway for the hourly video presentation of Korean Treasures (English subtitles), a dry but fascinating overview of 5,000 years of history. Then join the human conveyor belt on the circular route past bronze mirrors, lacquered wooden cups, jade jewellery, a wonderful long necked jar with horn shaped handles, lattice patterned bowls, iron buckles, contorted swords, tri-pod cauldrons, enormous dagger axes and National Treasure 89, a fantastically beautiful golden buckle unearthed on the outskirts of Pyongyang. In the centre of the room black cylindrical jars sit under lids patterned with birds and a collection of strange duck shaped vessels. Nearby are silver horse ornaments, glass beads, iron sickles, necklaces and decaying iron kettles.

Across the hall and we're into the Three Kingdoms proper, the division of Korea into Goguryeo (37BC - 668AD), which conquered great swathes of Manchuria and repeatedly repelled Tang Chinese advances, Baekche (18BC - 660AD), which established diplomatic ties with China and greatly influenced Japanese culture, and Shilla (57BC - 936AD).

We start with Goguryeo, the smallest collection as the majority of its territory was in what is now North Korea and north eastern China. Roof tiles bear leering faces once designed to ward off evil spirits but today attracting a small crowd of schoolchildren with pens and notebooks. Decorative black pottery and large two-eared jars lead to 5th century tomb paintings and a cooking st
ove with kettles and steamers. Next to a glittering pile of earrings, coins and needles a gilt bronze crown dominates a corner as we turn into Baekche.

After a few artefacts from excavation sites in Seoul we reach the Tomb of King Munyeong, discovered in the 1970s in Gongju. Replicas of the King's feet and head rests drip with gold and swirl with floral patterns; golden necklaces give way to a 7th century pottery stand with smooth contours and patterned sides. A wonderful loop shaped bottle stands next to a pair of 5th century gilt bronze shoes and tomb bricks form an elegant mural of phoenixes, clouds, dragons, monsters, lotus flowers and idyllic landscapes. My favourite, though, must be the 'Man's Nightstool', an animal design with an opening in the mouth for lavatory use.

Back to the right of Goguryeo, the Gaya Kingdom is appropriately enough squeezed between the larger displays of its more powerful neighbours. Quickly conquered by Shilla, the confederation of city states nonetheless produced some sophisticated artefacts such as duck shaped vessels, a jar with deer ornaments, sandals, chariot wheel shaped vessels and a 5th century glass cup.

Iron ingots, used as both manufacturing material and rudimentary currency, climb the walls on plastic stands next to horse armour, tiny spades, farming implements and a rusting, twisted flagpole once attached to a horse's metal armour in order to carry the colours into battle.

Gold and silver bowls announce our entrance into the Shilla Kingdom, which eventually conquered the peninsula with the help of the Tang Chinese. More glass cups (bearing an uncanny likeness to the Roman glass of the same time) stand alongside gold girdles with pendants, wing shaped ornaments and comma shaped jade earrings. Boat shaped drinking vessels from Gyeongju lead to bronze bowls and steamers inscribed with Chinese characters and cups with flowing lines, running animals and swirling patterns
. National Treasure 91, a grey piece of pottery showing an armour clad warrior on a harnessed horse, faces National Treasures 191 and 192, an enchanting gold crown with pendants and a matching girdle dripping with green jade.

The artefacts from the United Shilla period, following the fall of Baekche and Goguryeo, are if anything even more elaborate, full of wide lids, grand rims and imposing patterns. A crowd of clay figurines stand no more than 4 or 5 centimetres high. Used for religious purposes the attention to detail is simply magical. In an adjoining case National Treasure 195, a buckled jar with hanging figurines, watches over 10th century Zodiac figurines and a pagoda shaped funeral urn, National Treasure 125. The final corner is given over to roof tiles, inkstones and a portable cooking stove dredged out of Anapji Pond at the Royal pleasure palace in the Shilla capital of Gyeongju.

Through to the main lobby again, where stairs lead down to a pair of huge scale models showing Gyeongbok Palace before and after "its destruction by the Japanese Imperial Forces." The two provide a brutal contrast, underlined by overhanging text bitterly recalling the holding of an Industrial Expo on the site in 1910 and the later conversion of the seat of kings into a holiday resort. To the left of the main staircase a room displays a wonderful collection of Goryeo Celadon, starting with the earliest 10th century pottery through 11th century bowls with chrysanthemum scroll decoration through to superb 12th century pieces. A lobed bottle with a flowering rim stands above incense burners and bottles with willow designs, all retaining the distinctive lustre despite the passing of eight centuries. Roof tiles run to National Treasure 60, a lion ornamented incense burner, which almost touches National Treasure 96, a turtle shaped pitcher. National Treasure 167 is my favourite - a pitcher in the shape of a robed human figure offering a drink, with the mouth o
f the vessel
hidden in the middle of her outstretched hands. Around the next bend a gourd shaped bottle bears an inlaid inscription of an ancient Chinese poem, and water droppers shaped like pomegranates, monkeys, lotus buds and dragons cluster below cosmetic boxes, bowls featuring cranes and clouds and a bottle with plum and bamboo trees. A celadon pillow watches over jars with peony designs, flowerpots and a double headed drum. National Treasure 113, an underglaze iron-painted cylindrical bottle patterned with a solitary willow stands alongside milky white bowls and cups, then sit down in the video room at the exit before continuing across the hall for the Joseon Buncheong Ware, celadon pottery produced in the 15th and 16th centuries for the Royal Court that suffer by comparison with the glorious Goryeo work behind.

Beside the entrance jars, flasks and bottles have the names of government officials inscribed below willow and bamboo trees. Fish swim across large jars and National Treasure 259 has a fantastic inlaid dragon design worthy of anything in the previous room. The collection is impressive - blue and white porcelain, black glazed ceramics and white pottery - but, aside from a few pieces such as National Treasures 170, a plum and bird design, and 93, a white porcelain jar with an underglaze iron painted grapevine, they fail to emulate the unique mastery of the earlier Goryeo work.


Go down to the lowest level, turning left for the Buddhist Sculpture room, a fantastic display of gilt bronze, gold and stone. 10 cm high seated Buddhas gaze at bronze Deva musicians and a contemplative Bodhisattva, seated with right leg crossed over left, two fingers of her right hand touching a cheekbone, and eyelids drooping down to her nose, a perfect balance of pensiveness, relaxation and beauty. (http://www.visitseoul.net/jsp/english/see/museum0 4.jsptemplate_id=114&info_id=501 0000051&onloadset1_num=null&onloadset2_num=null). A doorway opens into a
high room reminiscent of the British Museum, with huge stone scuptures alongside meditative iron Buddhas. A trio of gilt bronze statues stand at the foot of an iron work showing the Buddha with one hand in his lap and the other gently touching a knee.

There are more Buddhist ornaments in the next room, Metal Arts, which holds amulets, ceremonial pagodas and weaponry from Goryeo Dynasty monk warriors next to aesthetically stunning bronze temple bells and gongs. In the middle of it all a bronze bottle stands alone, inlaid with silver and drooping with willow trees, lotus flowers and birds swimming among reeds. Then we're through a final section of ornamental coffin plates, mirrors, hair tweezers, tobacco cases, candlesticks, an 18th century iron ruler inlaid with silver, 12th century chopsticks and silver pitchers and into Painting.

Hanging scrolls unfurl from the ceiling featuring delicate running script in Chinese characters and wonderful pastoral scenes with titles like 'Scholar Contemplating a Waterfall', 'Secluded Fisherman', 'Magpies in Old Tree' and 'Conversation Between Fisherman and Firewood Gatherer'. In an adjacent room, Historical Materials, gold coins and seals span several Royal Dynasties, all centred around a remarkable bronze seal of the Ministry of Rites, Protocol, Culture and Education from the Goryeo court in 954AD. In the centre of the room National Treasure 3, a stone monument commemorating King Jinheung's inspection of the Han River basin was erected on the summit of the nearby Bukhan Mountain in the 6th century. Woodblocks from 1861 surround a 19th century atlas of Korea, and 13th century stone coffins lead to illustrated manuals documenting processions and banquets. Copper type plates from 1677 shine below a 1403 Abridged History of Korea near a 1625 message from King Injo to a meritorious subject, while National Treasure 264 records an assembly presided over by a Shilla King convened t
o settle a property dispute on a chipped stone tablet. In a smaller room the Sujeong Collection, donated by a doctor in 1974, comprises 362 pieces of porcelain from the late Joseon Period (19th century). Next door, the larger Dong-won Collection has over 2,000 artefacts in its ceramics section and more than 1,000 paintings encompassing virtually every style - landscape, figures, portraits, maps and folk art. The final room, the Iuchi Collection, holds roof tiles dating back to the 10th century donated by a Japanese doctor.

Step through the crowds converging on the entrance and turn left for the outdoor display of stone pagodas, guardian sculptures and lanterns. Then sit for a while on the grass and face the high ring of mountains before heading back to the chaotic concrete city.

TIPS

Allow at least three hours for your visit. Avoid weekends and Bank Holidays unless you were particularly attached to school dining room queues and football terraces. Mid-morning is probably the best time to visit.

There are rest areas, vending machines and toilet facilities throughout the museum, though it's probably best to eat something nearby before entering.

A new museum building is currently under construction in Yongsan Park, near Ichon station on underground line 4. See http://www.new-museum.go.kr/eng/indexeng.htm.

WEBSITES

www.museum.go.kr/eng/index.htm

www.visitseoul.net

GETTING THERE

The museum is currently located in the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace, adjacent to the underground station of the same name (line 3).

OPENING TIMES AND ADMISSION

March - October 9 - 6pm (last entry 5pm; open until 7pm at weekends)

November - February 9 - 5 pm (last entry 4pm)

Closed January 1st and every Monday

700 won over 25s, 300 won 7 - 24, free for under 6s.

£1 = approx 1900 won.

Summary: