The Amore Museum

The Amore Museum, located in the suburbs of Seoul, Korea, houses an archive and artwork collection of approximately 8000 items, with a special focus on the lifestyles of Korean women and the Korean tea culture. The collection is traveling to Japan for the first time in commemoration of the Japan-Korea Friendship Year 2005, the 40th anniversary of the normalization between the two countries. The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, in collaboration with The Amore Museum, will show "MOT: The Beauty and Style of Joseon Dynasty Korean Women" from October 4 through December 20, 2005.

Buncheong, Brushed with White Slip

Joseon Dynasty (15th-16th Centuries)

H = 8.5 cm

The visiting exhibition consists of 210 crafts and works of art that will give us a glimpse of the costumes and cosmetics, household utensils and necessities, and furnishings used by Korean women during the late-Joseon Dynasty. All works were actually used by women from the upper to popular classes. The Joseon Dynasty aesthetic was modest and simple, but handsome and natural. They wore simply-designed costumes and enjoyed colorful, delicate accessories. They had various cosmetics and perfumes. The main household chore was in the kitchen with emphasis in serving good meals with a refined taste in utensil presentation. Much of their time was also devoted to sewing. During this dynastic period, women lived in back-rooms decorated with beautiful folk paintings (called "minga" or "minwha") and handsome pieces of furniture.

Mirror Box, Mother of Pearl Inlay

Joseon Dynasty, W = 18.8 cm

(Left) Thimbles, Joseon Dynasty, L = 2.3 cm W = 2.5 cm

(Right) Case for paper sock (boeson) patterns

Joseon Dynasty, L = 8.0 cm W = 8.0 cm

(Left) Ten longevity Silver Ornamental Knife

Late-Joseon Dynasty, H = 14.6 cm

(Right) Perfume bar "norigae"

Joseon Dynasty (19th Century), H = 40.0 cm

Such recognition in self was reflected in