Motifs
Motif · Animals
Bat
박쥐 (편복)蝙蝠bakjwi (pyeonbok)
A bat, whose name sounds like 'fortune', placed as a blessing.
- Wishes for
- Fortune: 蝠 sounds like 福; five bats = the five blessings (오복)
Bat motif on a palace 패물보. A cloth bat ornament at the center of a 조각 상보, with knotted 박쥐 매듭 handles.
History & tradition
Chinese pun-based symbolism; Joseon court and folk crafts
The bat's name 蝠 sounds like 福 (fortune), so bats stand for blessing, and five bats for the five blessings. Bats appear with 壽 roundels and gourds on a court jewellery wrapper, and bat-shaped knots adorn a coin-pattern patchwork cover.
Researched with medium confidence.
Sources for this entry
표주박 (호로)葫蘆pyojubak (horo)