The Korean Madonna
Back in 1975, the USS Tripoli (LPH-10) visited Busan, South Korea. While there, I visited a Roman Catholic priest who was assigned to a local parish. I spent the weekend with him, meeting parishioners and attending Mass with them. After Mass, an elderly lady approached me and handed me a roll of silk.
When I unrolled it, I found this image;
This image is hand painted on silk. The flowers in the background are formed into the shape of the country. They are the national flower, Mugunghwa the rose of Sharon. The Madonna and Child are shown if the traditional dress of Korean royalty. It was an expensive gift for the giver, as the priest explained to me that creating those silk paintings was how she made her living.
If you look at it closely, you will see creases that appear to focus on a small hole to the upper, right hand side of the cloth. While in storage, some insect moved in and twisted it up tightly around itself. Those types of things happen on board ships in the South Pacific. The painting is now mounted in a picture frame, hanging next to our front door at home.
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