The Silla Kingdom Gold Jewelry in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries

Abstract

This contribution intends to develop reflections on the presence of enamel decorations in the goldsmith production of the Silla kingdom in the 5th-6th century AD.

The first chapter will briefly retrace the history that led to the foundation of the kingdom of Silla, both from an archaeological and a historiographical point of view. The focus will be on the kingdom's capital, Gyeongju, its funerary tradition, and the evolution of burials. An overview of the types of goldsmith accessories found in the tombs will be traced, observing them both as burial goods, produced specifically to accompany the deceased; and as indicators of daily life, fashion, and social habits.

In the second chapter, I will identify the main goldsmith techniques and the decorative solutions used in the gold accessories found in the mounded tombs of the kingdom of Silla, trying to highlight their derivations, influences, and originality.

In the third chapter, I will focus on a particular decorative technique present in the goldsmith's art of the Silla kingdom, the enamel. It seems that this technique is mainly used in the decoration of earrings and rings, while other objects in which this technique could have been used, such as bracelets or belts, do not present it, rather favoring the use of other techniques, such as filigree, openwork, chiseling, punching, and engraving. Rather than the fusion of enamels, the addition of beads or glass gogoks, made with the aid of stone molds, seems to be preferred.