Trip to New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia(III)

A KOREAN HOME (Exhibited on the American Museum of Natural History located in Manhattan Square Central Park, New York)

"In this scene of a 19th-century upper-class Korean home, scholar sits in his studio reading a philosophy text, while his wife manages household affairs from the privacy of her inner room. The two rooms suggest complementary themes in traditional Korea life: Korean successfully adapted Chinese high culture while maintaining older Korean customs. The traditional Korean scholar based his concepts of government, morality, etiquette, rituals and family life on the teachings of Confucius and other Chinese social philosophers. His wife visited Buddhist temples, however, and honored household gods for the well-being of her family. In a crisis, she might visit a shaman who would perform a divination and suggest an appropriate ritual cure.

Hand-made mulberry paper covers the walls and floors of both these rooms. A system of flues under the floor supplies heat during the cold Korean winter. The furniture is designed for life at floor level, trays of food are carried in at mealtime and sleeping mats are rolled out at night.

Many of the furnishings in this exhibit date from the 19th-century; the rest are modern reproductions.

Scholar’s Studio (Sarang pang) at the lefthand side;

The traditional Korean scholar read and wrote in classical Chinese, a language very different from his own. Here he reads the philosopher Mencius in a Korean translation that combines Chinese characters and the Korean alphabet (Hangeul). The low document case at the back of the room holds the scholar’s writing equipment, his brushes and porcelain water dropper. His inkstick and inkstone rest in a special stand beside his desk. A simple but elegant landscape in ink hangs on the wall."