Sky Horse, Cheonmado - Poster

Museum-quality Sky Horse poster from Korea features vibrant prints on durable, matte paper. 

What is Cheonmado?

Heavenly Horse - Gyeongju Cheonmachong Jangni Cheonmado (慶州天馬塚障泥天馬圖) is a painting of a horse (cheonma) drawn on a jangni that hangs down on either side of the horse's saddle. It is 75 cm wide, 53 cm long and about 6 mm thick. It was discovered in 1973 in Ancient Tomb No. 155 (Cheonmachong) in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju. It was designated National Treasure No. 207 of the Republic of Korea on November 16, 1982 and is owned and displayed at the Gyeongju National Museum.

Summary

The panel on which Cheonmado is drawn is made by overlapping several layers of birch bark, which is quilted with fine bark and covered with leather at the edge. A celestial horse is drawn in white in the center, and the edge is decorated with vine patterns in white, red, brown and black. The heavenly horse appears to run through the sky with its tail raised, with ring-shaped protuberances on its front and hind legs, and a tongue stuck out like a mouth, showing the energy of a god. This suggests that the white horse was the god of animals and had the task of transporting the dead to the heavenly world.

The image of Cheonmado, which appeared in the5th century. and 6th centuries of the Shilla Dynastyand the scroll pattern on the frame is in the same style as the Goguryeo martial arts weapons or tomb paintings, suggesting that the Silla paintings were influenced by Goguryeo. Since it is a Silla painting, it is almost the only work that has survived to this day, and its value is great.