Object
Document chest with text design
- Lacquerware with mother-of-pearl inlay
- Joseon dynasty, 19th–early 20th century
- Collection of National Museum of Korea
Document chests (mungap) were used to store objects. People stored documents and stationery in the men’s quarters and women’s everyday essentials in the boudoir. On the front, Four Admonitions by Northern Song dynasty scholar Cheng Yi is inscribed: “Do not watch what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak improperly, and do not act improperly.” The text contrasts with a serene waterfront scene on the top, which suggests that the middle class emulating literati used it after the 18th century.
