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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Angyeongjip

Spectacle Case (Angyeongjip)
1900 - 1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown (made)
Place of origin
Korea (made)

The case is made from a piece of wood, which has been hollowed out and covered with green sharkskin and coated with a thin layer of shellac (lacquer melted into thin flakes and used as varnish). Attached to the top of the case is a black draw string, which prevents the lid from becoming detached from the main container. Two narrow brass plates attached to the edge of the lid, protect and strengthen the case when opened. There is also a small brass ring attached to the bottom of the container.

A spectacle case such as this formed part of the possessions of a Korean gentleman. It would have been worn attached to the belt along with a tobacco pouch and other personal articles.

Object details

Category
Accessories
Object type
Spectacle case (Angyeongjip)
TitleAngyeongjip (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Wood, sharkskin, brass, cord, and shellac
Shagreen
Sharkskin
Wood
Shellac
Brass
Lacquering
Brief description
Spectacle case, wood and lacquered shagreen; Korea, Joseon, C19
Physical description
The case is made from a piece of wood, which has been hollowed out and covered with green sharkskin and coated with a thin layer of shellac (lacquer melted into thin flakes and used as varnish). Attached to the top of the case is a black draw string, which prevents the lid from becoming detached from the main container. Two narrow brass plates attached to the edge of the lid, protect and strengthen the case when opened. There is also a small brass ring attached to the bottom of the container.

A spectacle case such as this formed part of the possessions of a Korean gentleman. It would have been worn attached to the belt along with a tobacco pouch and other personal articles.
Dimensions
  • Length: 17.5cm
  • Case body width: 6.4cm
  • Case lid width: 6.8cm
  • Depth: 3cm
Style
Chosŏn
Gallery label
(19/01/21)
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
Object history
Purchaed from Han Yang-Tang (Antique Shop), Seoul, Korea. Register entry 17 December 1991.
Bibliographic reference
National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Korean Art Collection Victoria and Albert Museum. Republic of Korea, 2013. p. 254 The inner surface of this spectacle case is made of wood, and the outer surface is wrapped with a green-dyed fish skin. A ring is attached both to the body and the lid, and a string is connected to the ring on the lid.
Other number
RP 91/2432 - RF number
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.45-1991

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22383/angyeongjip-spectacle-case-angyeongjip-unknown/
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