Tassel (Samjak Norigae)
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Object Label
Women of the late Joseon wore norigae, or decorative pendants, hanging from the tie of a jacket or skirt. The norigae consisted of tassels hanging from multiple elements that would sway with the woman’s movement and sometimes make a soft jingling noise. This elaborate example has three pendant objects (samjak) that symbolize good fortune and proper wifely behavior. The miniature sword wards off evil. The gourd-shaped vase represents joy and plenty. The object with the smaller pendant elements is a wind chime/noisemaker that farmers would hang in the fields to scare away birds; it too serves to protect the wearer from harm.
Caption
Tassel (Samjak Norigae), 20th century. Enameled silver pendants with silk cords, Overall length: 13 3/8 in. (34 cm) Scarecrow length: 4 3/4 in. (12 cm) Gourd bottle length: 2 3/8 in. (6 cm) Sword length: 4 in. (10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Jacqueline Miller Dunnington, 78.248. Creative Commons-BY
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Tassel (Samjak Norigae)
Date
20th century
Geography
Place made: Korea
Medium
Enameled silver pendants with silk cords
Classification
Dimensions
Overall length: 13 3/8 in. (34 cm) Scarecrow length: 4 3/4 in. (12 cm) Gourd bottle length: 2 3/8 in. (6 cm) Sword length: 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Jacqueline Miller Dunnington
Accession Number
78.248
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
What is this supposed to be ?
Those are tassels also called Samjak Norigae, which would have been hung from the tie of a jacket or shirt.Cool.I agree! Many of them had symbols and served as charms!
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