Multiple relics found in Princess Hwahyeop’s tomb

Multiple relics found in Princess Hwahyeop’s tomb. December. 29, 2016 07:10. by Sang-Un Kim sukim@donga.com.

The tomb of Princess Hwahyeop (1733-1752), a daughter of King Yeongjo and elder sister of crown prince Sado Seja, has been found in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

“We excavated the original tomb of Princess Hwahyeop, who was born to King Yeongjo and concubine Lee, before the relocation of her remains, and collected a number of relics,” the Korea Institute of Heritage said on Wednesday. An aunt of King Jeongjo, she died of measles at the age of 19. She married to Shin Gwang-soo, a son of prime minister Shin Man, but had no child.

Items collected from her tomb include a signage certifying the burial site, a tombstone, 10 cheonghwa white porcelain boxes, one patterned pottery, three wooden boxes, a bronze mirror and mirror frame, wooden combs, and textiles. The tombstone comes with a cubical plate with inscription of Chinese characters that are filled with black ink, which reads "Yumyeong (famed) Joseon Princess Hwahyeop’s bomb."

The back and sides of the tombstone have a total of 394 characters inscribed. Notably, the side on the right has a memo King Yeongjo wrote to describe his sadness from the premature death of his young daughter. The Cheonghwa white porcelain boxes and patterned pottery contain objects that are believed to be cosmetics.

“Materials that showcase real life of royal family women during the Joseon Dynasty including makeup tools have been discovered en masse,” a source at the Cultural Heritage Administration said.