Sejodae thumbnail 1
Sejodae thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Korea, Room 47g

Sejodae

Belt
1992 (made)
Artist/Maker
Sung, Nak-Yoon (maker)
Place of origin
Korea (made)

Long plaited rope of maroon silk with two decorative knotted tassels at each end. Between the rope and the tassels are knots of gold thread.


Object details

Categories
Textiles
Clothing
Men's Clothes
Accessories
Object type
Belt
TitleSejodae (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaited and knotted silk and gilt thread
Silk (Textile)
Gold Thread
Knotted
Plaited
Brief description
Textile, plaited silk cord with decorative tassels; Korea, 1992
Physical description
Long plaited rope of maroon silk with two decorative knotted tassels at each end. Between the rope and the tassels are knots of gold thread.
Dimensions
  • Length: 238cm
Gallery label
  • 3. Status symbols Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) Waist belt made by Sung Nak-Yoon in 1992 The regulated dress codes of the Joseon dynasty reflected its societal hierarchy. Colours, materials and patterns differed according to the wearer’s status. Here, the lavish lacquered fish skin of the spectacles case, angyeongjip, and the purple colour of the waist belt, sejodae, point to an affluent owner or seonbi of high rank. The rank badge, hyungbae, decorated with cranes, also indicates this, and would have been sewn onto a ceremonial garment. Even the pipe’s length demonstrates the seonbi’s status, as a long pipe would need a servant to light it. Shagreen, lacquer; silk brocade; silk and gilt thread; bamboo and silver Pipe purchase supported by V&A Members Museum nos. FE.45-1991, T.198-1920, FE.546:1-1992, FE.36-1991(19/01/2021)
  • Korean knot craft (maedŭp) derived from the practice of knotting fishing nets and tools. It developed into a decorative art that embellished every aspect of Korean traditional life, from clothing to interiors. Maedŭp was part of the attire of men including this sejodae, worn around the chest over the outer robe. The colour showed the wearer’s official rank.
Credit line
Purchased from Sung Nak-Yoon
Object history
Purchased from Sung Nak-Yoon (the artist). Register entry 23 November 1992.
Associated object
T.196-1920
Bibliographic reference
Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Other number
RP 92/2472 - RF number
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.546:1-1992

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22498/sejodae-belt-sung-nak-yoon/
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