Northeast Asian History Network

Western Wall of the Western Auxiliary Chamber - Portrait of the Deceased - Clerk

This is a detailed view of the official depicted directly to the left of the nobleman in the western auxiliary chamber. This figure is holding a wooden tablet (thin wood shavings used extensively for writing prior to the invention of paper) and a brush as if to record some type of information. An inscription next to this figure reads "Gisil" in red ink. A Gisil, or clerk, was a low-ranking official in the Koguryo era responsible for recording information reported by other administrative officials.
This clerk can be seen wearing a civil servant Chaek (Headwear worn by civil servants and military attachés. Civil servants wore Chaeks with tops that were split in the back and curving forward. Military attachés wore Chaeks with cone-shaped points.) and a long, robe-like Durumagi (traditional Korean overcoat). His facial features are generally very similar to the central nobleman, but the mustache appears much less dignified. It's estimated that this is the work of the same artist.