Northeast Asian History Network

Equestrian figure in the Depiction of the Noble Couple’s Outing on the eastern wall of the middle passage 01

This is a detailed view of the equestrian figure as seen in the Depiction of the Noble Couple’s Outing on the eastern wall of the middle passage. The overall proportions of the figure and horse are inaccurate, and the entire image has been treated with simplified lines and monochromatic colors. The equestrian figure is a soldier escorting the First Lady in the procession, and looking at his attire, he is wearing a Geon (a type of ancient headwear that wraps around the entire head and tied in the back, similar to a bandanna) around his head with form-fitting trousers (Gung-go) comfortable for horseback riding. Although Geons were primarily worn by valets or the lower-class during the Koguryo era, they were also used by nobility for hunting or other outdoor activities. The figure is wearing a Jeogori (traditional Korean upper garment) with a strap around the waist, and notably, the neckline, sleeves, and bottom hemline have been treated with Seons (accents on garments mimicking the black feathers on a crane’s neck or wingtips, influenced by Siberian shamanism).
The horse was rendered too small in comparison to the rider. The horses mainly used in Koguryo at the time weren't the large, long-legged Ferghana horses (literally "sweats blood horse" in Chinese) from the mountains of Central Asia but a type of short-legged pony found in the grasslands of Mongolia. Even so, the proportions of the horse are too unrealistic in comparison to the rider. Not only does the horse appear to be wearing black boots, but the legs are too slender for its body, making its overall appearance rather unusual. However, the horse's brown fur and well-developed muscles convey a sturdy appearance.
Clearly, this depiction does not feature any meticulous details. As burial chamber murals need to be completed within a certain time limit, several artists paint the murals simultaneously. The stark differences in levels of skill among the artists are visibly apparent. The artists with greater skill were assigned to more important subject matter such as portraits of the deceased or outings, and compared with other scenes, these works exhibit far more elaborate production. Therefore, this depiction of an equestrian figure can be surmised to have been completed by a low-level artist.