The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Bridal Robe (Hwarot)

Bridal Robe (Hwarot)

late 1800s
(1392–1910)
Satin weave silk; silk embroidery; paper edging on neck and sleeves
Overall: 114.3 x 174 cm (45 x 68 1/2 in.)
The Worcester R. Warner Collection 1918.552
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This bride's robe is made of densely embroidered silk, but its collar and sleeves are covered in thick paper.

Description

This bride's robe is exquisitely embroidered with various symbols of happiness in colorful silk threads. Butterflies stand for marital happiness; the phoenix, numerous offspring; and lotus flowers and white cranes, longevity. Yet, the bridal robe does not attest to the life of luxury. To the contrary, many traces of repairs, trimmings, and patchwork, reflect Joseon period women’s commitment to value neo-Confucian aesthetics of frugality and modesty.

Substantial repairs and patching reveal that this robe served as an important communal resource to be shared and passed down through several generations. Its collar and sleeves are covered in thick white paper; this paper is replaced with new paper for each bride, while the robe itself was reused for decades.
  • ?–1918
    (Worcester R. Warner [1846–1929], Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1918–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Suh, Kisook. The Documentary Value of Repairs to the Hwarot, the Korean Bridal Robe. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2006. pp. 79–87
    Seon Seung-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Reproduced: p. 65, cat. no. 50
    Artistic Court Embroidery [아름다운 궁중자수]. Seoul: National Palace Museum. 2013.
    Kwon, Hea-jin and Ji-yeon Kim. “Study on the Formative Characteristics of Embroidery Panels of Hwarot at the Victoria and Albert Museum [빅토리아 앨버트 박물관 소장 활옷의 조형성 연구].” Boksik (2013): 176–188. www.dbpia.co.kr
    O, Suk-gyeong and Hong Na-young. “The Usage of Paper in the Costumes of the Joseon Dynasty [조선시대 복식에 사용된 종이심에 관한 연구].” Boksik (2015): 75–91. www.dbpia.co.kr
    McCormick, Sooa Im. "Stitches empowered: Korean embroidery arts form the Joseon Dynasty" Orientations 51, no. 1 (January/February 2020): 60–67. Reproduced: p. 62, fig. 3; Mention: p. 61
    McCormick, Sooa Im, Jung-Wha Kim, William Griswold, Seung-Hae Yi, Byungmo Chung, and Young Chae. Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts From Korea / Sooa Im McCormick, Curator. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2020. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 10–11
    "Gold Needles: Celebrating the stunning embroidery of anonymous Korean women.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 2 (March/April 2020): 32-33. Reproduced: P. 33; Mentioned: P. 32.
    Exhibitions--Extended Dates. “Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 3 (Summer 2020): 4-5. Reproduced: P. 5; Mentioned: P. 4.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 246-247, no. 137
  • Hwarot: Wedding Robes of the Joseon Dynasty. National Palace Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea (Republic of) (organizer) (September 14-December 13, 2023).
    Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 7-October 25, 2020).
    The Lure of Painted Poetry: Cross-cultural Text and Image in Korean and Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Bridal Robe (Hwarot)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.552