Northeast Asian History Network

Figure on the eastern wall of the middle passage (Ox-driving Valets)

This is a detailed view of the ox-driving valets in the Depiction of the Noble Couple’s Outing on the eastern wall of the middle passage. Two men can be seen in the image walking side by side and driving the ox pulling the carriage. The valets are wearing traditional Koguryo attire, a Jeogori (traditional Korean upper garment) with trousers, and the neckline and bottom hemline feature Seons (accents on garments mimicking the black feathers on a crane’s neck or wingtips, influenced by Siberian shamanism) of different colors. The trousers are Gung-go (form-fitting trousers) for high mobility. The split pigtail hairstyles indicate that the valets are adolescents.
The artwork seems somewhat clumsy, and therefore the level of artistry of the person responsible is estimated to be mediocre. As the murals needed to be completed within a certain time limit, several artists painted the murals simultaneously. Master painters were assigned to more important subject matter such as portraits of the deceased, and lower-level artists were assigned to subject matter of lesser importance. Therefore, the murals in the middle passage can be surmised to have been completed by a low-level artist.
The remains of vivid red contours can be seen on the faces of the valets, and they serve as important clues for the mural painting techniques of the time. Artists of the time used red for the general outline and composition then applied colors to the base. Finally, outlines were applied with blank ink similar to ink wash techniques. These techniques would have been perfect for completing murals in a short amount of time.