Home > Permanent Exhibitions > Lacquered Woodcraft Gallery > Introduction
Trees were easily accessible in Korea due to four distinct seasons and mountainous terrain. The rooms were heated with an under floor Ondol system during the Joseon Dynasty, and the furniture was built smaller and they had distinct features according to whether they were placed in men’s or women’s quarters. At the time, studious men living below their means were considered virtuous, and the furniture in men’s chambers reflected those traits, being very simple and frugal. In contrast, the furniture in women’s quarters which formed the center of the house was warm and magnificent in accordance with women’s tastes. The Korean wooden lacquer ware possesses a certain relaxed, unpretentious charm which is far from beauty seeking perfection or splendor.
