A Study on the Manufacture and Usage of Late-Joseon Chanhap

Abstract

The chanhap is a type of tableware designed to stack various types of dishes in separate compartments or tiers. This dissertation aims to determine the characteristics of chanhap by medium as well as the cultural background that popularized their manufacture and use in the late Joseon era. Chanhap’s multitiered structure, dubbed differently across different civilizations, has been widely favored in the three major Far East countries among various social classes. It was introduced to the Korean culture from China and Japan, and the manufacture and usage became popular in the late Joseon. Chanhap secured its reputation as a luxury piece loved by royals and scholars. The late-Joseon chanhap in different media differ in origins. This study found origins of wooden chanhap from the portable dish box from the Ming Dynasty; porcelain chanhap from the 2-tier round Japanese porcelain dish box made to receive the Sinmi Envoys from Joseon in 1811. Specific historical records have revealed that the late-Joseon chanhap was used as portable carrier and storage as well as dishware for royal banquets. This discovery has illuminated the various usage and complex characteristics of the multitiered structure of chanhap .