Embroidered Panels with Design of the Chinese Characters for “Longevity” and “Good Fortune”

The patterns on these panels may look like abstract shapes, but they are legible to those with a reading knowledge of hanja, Chinese characters used to write Korean. Each panel contains twenty-four variations on the characters for either “longevity” (su) or “good fortune” (bok). Gold silk floss carefully mimics different calligraphic and pictographic styles to create visual interest despite the repetitious message. Embroidered panels such as these would have been mounted as a folding screen and likely belonged to a noble or royal.